War With A Snake
by jokerhahaha
Summary: Marie Benedetti has a big job as head of the Italian department of Magical Cooperation. However, her British counterpart happens to be Draco Malfoy, who isn't too keen on her. But, they begin to feel feelings they would never expect, and deal with political issues bigger then themselves that will decide if they are more loyal to their country, or to each other. (OC/Draco)
1. Malfoy's Party

**WARNING: This story is currently rated teen, but as it goes on, it may feature some mature themes, so be aware of this, please.**

 **Chapter 1**

"Such a lovely party, _mio amico_." Marie cooed to her assistant, Louis. He simply nodded, observing the elegance of the place. The place glowed with a golden warmth that enveloped Marie with the joyous tone that the party had. Hundreds of people were chatting, dancing, and eating, including high-ranking Ministry employees, Prime Ministers, business-owners and elite purebloods. Spotting the man she had been hoping to see from across the ballroom, Marie rushed past people, being careful not to bump into one of the servers.

"Ah, Marie Benedetti, how wonderful it is to see you," said Edward O'Brien, deputy head of Magical Law Enforcement in Britain, also one of Marie's former flames. They had remained good friends even though they no longer were romantically involved, keeping her posted on how the government was doing in Britain. Marie smiled, taking notice of how the man had changed over the past few months. A thin beard, perfectly combed hair, and a new posture to himself that alerted people that he was official. But he had the same warm brown eyes that matched her own, and a smile that could cheer anyone up. He took a second to look her up and down, then stated, "You look very beautiful tonight."

She smirked, she _did_ look beautiful tonight. Donning an elegant, black, figure-fitting dress, and her caramel-coloured hair pinned up in a half-updo, Marie dressed to impress. "How would you like to meet the man of the hour?" Edward suggested, gesturing outwardly towards the mansion they were inside.

"I'm not sure, he may not, uh, not take a liking for me," I sighed, not wanting to think about approaching her new British counterpart to the Head of the Department of Magical Cooperation.

"He's going to have to, you both are forced to be working in quite close quarters. Come," Edward beckoned, taking her hand into leading her into the crowd. She felt a ping of worry in her stomach for Louis, wondering if he was faring well. He was new, a mere 18 year old boy, who probably had never been to a formal party such as this one in his life. All thoughts exited her head as she laid eyes on the man of the hour, the new British head of Magical Cooperation himself, with his sleek platinum blonde hair that could only belong to one family. "Mr. Malfoy! How are you, sir?" Edward questioned thoughtfully, catching the man's attention from the flock of older folk.

Almost refreshed to see a face under 50, he raised an eyebrow, with a slight curl of a smile on the left side of his mouth. "O'Brien, how nice to see a familiar face. I'm doing quite fine, and yourself?"

"Quite marvelous. I came here to introduce you to-"

"Marie Benedetti, I'm very aware of who she is," Draco stated matter-of-factly.

Edward rubbed his hand on the back of his neck nervously, then gulped, "Well, I'll leave you two to it then. See you both around."

After his awkward departure, Draco eyed her hungrily, like a wolf ready to kill. Marie knew he was doing to treat her with disdain, or insult her. She wasn't up to his standards of a witch, she was only a halfblood. " _Signore_ Malfoy, what an honor to finally meet my British partner," Marie said, offering up some bait for a nice conversation.

"Yes, quite. I must say, for a halfblood, you are very appealing to the eye."

"For a halfblood?"

"Yes, and I would take that compliment very seriously, considering I do not indulge myself in mixing in with…others. But, considering that Britain and Italy have been working very closely for the past few years, I supposed I must be become accustomed to interacting with your kind."

"You must be mistaken, you speak as if being a halfblood is something to be ashamed of, _essere imbarazzato_ by."

"Well, Ms. Benedetti, you must be aware of my family and its ancestral purity, so you must also understand where I'm coming from," Draco tried to reason, as if his rudeness was not his fault. Marie let out a huff, finding it increasingly harder to just idly stand there and not insult him back. But she was an important figure, and she was looked up to by many.

"Yes, _Signore_ , I suppose I understand. I just hope for it not to get in the way of our line of work. Afterall, we are heads of Magical Cooperation. How, um, _ironic_ o, if we couldn't even cooperate ourselves," She explained, hoping this would dull down the intensity of the conversation. Draco actually let out a chuckle, his grey eyes twinkling a little.

"I agree, it's our job to do the best job we can, and I'm hoping we can look past our obvious differences and be a _fantastico_ team," Draco smirked, poking a little fun with throwing in some Italian. Marie's fingers twitched at his hidden insults in that statement. Obvious differences? How pretentious. He was so good at masking the hurtful things he said to her.

"Well, if you don't mind, it is late, and I believe I must be on my way back home," Marie exclaimed, trying to excuse herself from the Manor. Draco gave her a quick nod, and then gave her a little bow.

"I shall see you Monday in my office then, and we can get to working," Draco reminded her before she disappeared into the crowd to find Louis and get out of there.

 **Hey guys, I'm finally back, and with a new story! Now that school is finally over, I can write fulltime for the summer. So, I will also be updating Ignition, for those of you so patient and devoted supporters (I love you guys so much) I also apologize not only for disappearing for like, two months, but for this chapter being so short! I just wanted you guys to get a little taste of the plot, I might be posting again tomorrow or the next day. I haven't figured yet. So, if you liked it, leave a comment. Not so much? Review it anyway so I can make it better! I love you guys so much, and I'm glad to be back! Stay awesome, Gotham.**

 **-April**


	2. Office Fight

**Chapter 2**

The office was packed the next morning, with tons of citizens filing complaints about how some Durmstrang students were practicing magical hexes on Italian senior citizens during their winter break vacation. Each desk was constantly being bombarded with phone calls about these students. Marie strolled in, wading through the throng of angry people, and into her own office room. Louis ran in immediately after, and explained the situation.

"Alright, Louis, _grazie._ I'll call the Law Enforcement department and get them right on it," Marie sighed, quite disappointed her day was already starting out in such huge disarray. She picked up the telephone, and dialed the number.

"Italian Department of Magical Law Enforcement, _sÍ_?"

" _Ciao, questo é Marie Benedetti._ "

"Ah, Marie! How are you, dear?"

"I could be doing better, I have a bit of a problem. We have numerous complaints about a few Durmstrang students wreaking havoc on some senior citizens."

"Oh, alright, we'll get right on it then. You can tell everyone that everything is going to be okay, and we are taking care of it."

" _Grazie._ "

" _Prego_."

Marie let out a sigh, and slapped the phone back on the receiver. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her office, and into the work office. "Everyone, we have contacted the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and they are currently taking care of the Durmstrang students' situation. If you are currently in here for that reason, you may exit if you so choose," Marie called out loudly, quieting the room. Slowly, little swarms of people stood from their seats and left the office, leaving only about six other people in the office, continuing to speak to an employee. Marie gave a small smile, overjoyed that she didn't have to deal with that anymore. She went to walk back in her office, when Louis stopped her in her tracks.

" _Scusami,_ _Signorina Benedetti_ , there are a few citizens who have arranged a meeting with you, would you like me to let them in?"

"Of course, Louis, just let me clean up the office a bit, and then you can gladly show them in," Marie replied, patting her assistant on the shoulder.

Her office was a bit of a clutter, with stacks of paper leaning from her desk as if she was trying to recreate the Great Tower of Pisa. Picking them up and setting them in the corner, she finally sat in her seat. " _Accio gli occhiali!"_ She hissed, as her reading glasses came zooming from across the room and into her hands. Placing them on her face, she looked down at her schedule, reading over the summary of the meeting. It seemed as if it was a French group of wizards who were purposing a new trading route between the two countries. They had apparently been originally set up to meet with the Head of Magical Trading Standards, but they had requested to meet with Marie herself. Flicking her wand, a couple chairs from the wall organized themselves in front of her desk for her clients. She placed her wand to her throat and spoke, "Louis, you can bring the group in now." With that, the door swung open to reveal three men, all in a nice formal shirt and jeans.

" _Bonjour, Mademoiselle_ Benedetti. _"_

 _"Bonjour_ to you all. I understand you have come to discuss a possible trade route? Please, take a seat, make yourselves comfortable," Marie grinned warmly, gesturing toward the three seats in front of her. The three men looked at each other awkwardly, and then sat down in the seats. All three of them had luscious black hair, gelled back in a perfect wave. The one man on the left wore red glasses, and seemed to have not shaved in weeks. The man in the middle was quite the opposite, with a clean-shaven face and teeth as white as the paper that sat in front of Marie. The man on the right had a white line that went across his eyeball, like a scar. Not only that, but his eyes were an odd, piercing blue color.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. We're the Moubray brothers. And yes, we have a trade route we'd like to propose that neither the French or Italian magical governments have taken advantage of yet," said the middle brother, flashing his perfect teeth as he spoke.

"Yes, you see, it's in the countryside, but it's the quickest way from Paris to Rome, which would save so much time for wizards in both countries to collect French and Italian goods," the brother to the right mentioned, rubbing his scarred eyeball intensely. Marie nodded, thinking about all the possibilities a new trade route could open. The brother to the left continued to look down, twiddling his thumbs. A shiny sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, his breathing growing quicker.

"He's not much of a people person, is he?" Marie inquired, looking at the man with concern.

The middle brother chuckled, patting his brother on the back, "Ha, no, he's very quiet, and nervous of people with such…high power."

"Well, no need to worry. I don't have much power, it's the citizens who really have the power," Marie insured, as pushed away from her desk a little to access a compartment full of maps. As she did that, she heard a nervous gulp from the brother. What was he so nervous about? Her head still under the desk, she rummaged through her things, continuing to talk, "So, what interested you three in this subject?"

One of the brothers answered rather quickly, "Oh, you know, just wanting to involve ourselves in our community a bit more." Marie's eyes darted under the table, and saw the middle brother pull out his wand, placing it on his lap. She inhaled deeply, now realizing why the brother to the left was so nervous. There was a click from her door, perhaps from it being locked.

"Which map would you prefer me to use to draw this route out? A map showing Europe, or two individual maps of Italy and France?" Marie stalled, taking her glasses off, placing them in the cabinet and then reaching in her pants' pocket for her wand.

"Either one will do," one of them muttered, as the middle brother grasped his wand with great intensity, ready to use it. Marie slowly pulled her wand out, also ready to counteract whatever spell the brother planned on using.

"I suppose I should just grab the European map."

"Sounds like a plan, _mademoiselle_." Taking in one last deep breath, she sprung straight up in her chair, facing the three brothers. " _Avada-"_

 _"Silencio!"_ Marie shouted, the middle brother's voice silencing before he could finish the spell. She turned toward the brother to the right, and yelled, " _Stupefy!"_ He was launched from his chair and into the wall, his eye rolling back into his head on impact. The brother to the left let out a cry, raising both hands above his head. The middle brother slapped him, and tackled Marie. She screamed, her wand being thrown from her hand, skidding across the office floor. The man placed his hands around her throat, her vision becoming fuzzy. Her face reddened, but she gathered all her strength and kneed him in the stomach, causing him to let go. She then threw him into the desk, snatching her wand up. " _Petrificus totalus!"_ Marie screeched, causing the brother to go completely stiff.

She reached in her emergency drawer, and pulled out a small pocket knife. She switched it open, and placed it on the last brother's neck, who was sobbing. "Someone help! _Aiutatemi!_ " Marie called out, feeling blood trickling from her forehead and her lip. There was pounding on her door, with numerous people shouting. Realizing it was locked, Marie huffed, " _Alohomora!"_ Half the people from the office tumbled in, wands pointing in all directions.

Louis shoved through everyone, and then gasped, " _Dio mio!_ What happened?"

"They tried to kill me."

"I'm so sorry, it'll never happen again, please forgive me _Signorina!"_

"Louis, it's okay. It's not your fault. They were probably unhappy with the new foreign identification law I helped pass," Marie reassured the boy. Everyone still stayed in the room, unsure of what to do. "It's alright everyone, you can go back to work. Louis, Pietro, stay with me until we get some help from Law Enforcement," Marie ordered. Everyone filed out, except for Louis and Pietro, who was a thirty-year old man who had been part of the Ministry the past six years of his life.

"Are you sure you're alright, _Signorina_?" Pietro questioned worriedly, observing the scratches and cuts on his body.

"I'm quite alright, Pietro, just a little shaken up. Nothing I haven't handled before."

"If you say so," Pietro muttered, continuing to point his wand at the brother who lay slumped over on the wall. It was a bit odd for Marie to speak to a man older than her like he was just one of her employees. He _was_ , but she still wasn't used to it, even after two years of being head of her department.

For 24 years old, she was doing very well in life. Graduating from school with flying colors, and going through university within two years, she joined in, working at a mere desk job in the department at 20. At 21, she kept moving up in the ranks, her peers looking up at her, and her advisors truly amazed by all her potential. When the head of the department retired when she was 22, the job was passed on to her, since she was deemed "most fit" for the job. She was the youngest head of any department in the Italian Ministry of Magic history.

Finally, after five minutes of silence and continuing to hold her pocket man to the quivering man's throat, a few Hit wizards stormed into the room, jabbing there wands in the air as if preparing for a fight. "Hit wizards? These aren't highly dangerous criminals!" Marie complained, silently cursing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for wasting important task forces on such small escapades.

"They attacked you, and you are an important Ministry official, making them very dangerous," one of the Hit Wizards commented, before performing the Leg-Locker curse on each brother to ensure they would remain immobile.

" _Grazie_ ," Marie uttered, watching the Hit Wizards carry the three brothers out of the room.

"Um, I'm not sure if you if this is bad timing, _Signorina Benedetti,_ but you have one more visitor that would like to see you today. I can tell them to wait until tomorrow, if you like," Louis mentioned, looking down pathetically at his shoes.

Marie shook her head, "No, it's okay, I can meet with them today. Send them in." Pietro and Louis both left the room, leaving Marie in her trashed office room. She bent over and picked up a shattered picture frame. It was a picture of her family, a family she hadn't seen since last Christmas. Her heart fluttered a bit, reminding her that she would be visiting them in two weeks for Christmas. Her line of work made it very hard to see them, and it made her feel awful to even dwell on it. Setting the picture on her table, she let out a deep sigh, and grabbed a tissue from a drawer in her desk. She gently wiped off some of the blood, but still felt a little bit dripping out.

Marie sat down carefully in her chair, feeling her bones ache from being thrown to the floor earlier. She closed her eyes, tilting her head up at the ceiling, when she heard the door creak. Her bloodshot eyes shot open, and she looked across the room to see none other than Draco Malfoy.

" _Signore Malfoy_ , what a pleasure it is to see you. _Benvenuto in Italia!"_ Marie welcomed, forcing a smile on her face. Draco gave her a nod, and sat himself in the only chair that wasn't flipped over or thrown across the room.

"I see that in Italy, they don't pride themselves on cleanliness," Draco sneered, glancing around the room, and then Marie herself. Marie bit her lip, telling herself not to stoop to his level.

"Well, you see, in our line of work, it's a very dangerous job. Unlike other departments, not only can you upset the people of your country, but you can also upset people of _other_ countries," Marie warned him, a little part of her hoping it would scare him out of the job.

Draco just leaned back in his seat rather comfortably, replying with, "I'm rather used to people being upset with me."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, it is so. I'm assuming you're also on that list?"

"Considering you don't really show me as much of an ounce of respect, I suppose so," Marie growled, but then stopped and straightened herself.

Draco let out a small chuckle, "I guess I can't have much fun with you, can I? Well, that's alright, we'll get used to each other eventually."

"Why are you even here? It's Saturday, you said I'd be seeing you Monday."

"I came to set up a schedule for our meetings with each other. Italy and Britain are good friends, so I plan on us being the same, despite you being tainted and such. Also-"

"Stop right there! I can't keep talking to you if you refer to my blood as being tainted, or _cattivo!_ Can we both agree to stop that now?" Marie roared angrily, her face becoming flushed with redness. Draco's face turned a bit paler for a second, but then he slowly nodded.

"I guess I can stop saying it, but don't think for a second I'll stop thinking it," Draco insisted.

Marie shrugged, "I couldn't care less if you think it."

"Now, anyway, I would like to schedule our meetings to be four times a week, which leaves you with three extra days to consult with any other countries you feel you need to."

"The last British head of Magical Cooperation had us meeting three times a week."

"Well, I don't want to meet three times a week. If I plan on being efficient, I want four days a week. Is that doable for you?"

"Yes, I can make time in my schedule, how long are these meetings?"

"One to two hours."

"Morning or afternoon?"

"Half the time will be in the morning. The other half is in the evening." Marie crossed her arms, unsure of this plan, but Draco continued to speak, "On Mondays and Fridays, you will be coming to Britain to meet with me. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, I will be coming to Italy to meet with you. Monday and Saturday will be morning meetings, Wednesdays and Fridays will be evening meetings. Understood?" Marie sat there for a second, letting the whole thing sink in.

Finally, she spoke, "Fine. We can do that." Draco grinned at her, offering his hand for her to shake. Unsure of it, she gently shook it, and then watched him wipe it on her jacket, as if she had a sickness. His eyes drifted downward, at the broken picture on her desk.

"Is this your family?" Draco asked, carefully picking it up, observing the scene of Marie, her mother, father, and little sister all swinging on swings in a playground. They all were laughing and seemed to be having a wonderful time.

"Yes, it was taken in my seventh year of school," Marie told him, watching him cautiously. His eyes flicked over the picture numerous times, as if to absorb all the details about it. They then grew glassy, and he wiped them off quickly.

"You all seem very happy," He commented, finally setting the picture down.

"We were. Seventh year was a very good year for me. How about you?" Marie questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. His lips instantly pursed, and he went silent for a minute, as if trying to block out anything he could about his seventh year of school, but Marie was unsure why.

"I shall see you in my office Monday," Draco stated abruptly, then stood from his chair and raced out of the room. Marie also stood from her chair, but did not follow Draco Malfoy. She instead looked down at his seat, and noticed a single teardrop on her desk.

 **Hi guys! I hope you liked this chapter, it gave you a more in-depth look into what Marie's job actually is, plus some Draco at the end! I hope you guys liked the story so far, if you do, or don't and would like to offer some (helpful) advice, message me, review, comment, share, like, all those goods things! Big thanks to PinkRose235 for the first review! Don't forget, stay awesome, Gotham!**

 **-April**


	3. Meeting the Serpent

**Chapter 3**

" _Signorina Benedetti! Signorina Benedetti! Stop!"_ Louis called after her as she was getting ready to Apparate to the British Ministry of Magic.

"Louis! What is it?" Marie asked, setting her briefcase down. The boy panted, keeling over to catch his breath.

He soon stood back up again, and exclaimed, "What would you like us to do back here? While you are gone?"

"I'm going to give you a huge responsibility, but I think you are capable. You will be in my office to take phone calls, you've trained for this. Just set up appointments, tell them I'm not here, or if it's an emergency, redirect them to Ester, she's been in the office longer than anyone here," Marie advised him. The boy nodded quickly, trying to conceal his panic-stricken face. Marie took his hand gently, and looked him proudly in the eye. "You will be fine, Louis, I have complete faith in you," She promised. The boy had never been in the office without her before, but she would sure he would be fine. It was only two hours. Picking up her briefcase, she focused her mind on her location, envisioned it in her mind, and just like that, she disappeared in a twist of colors. She felt the cold air cutting across her skin as she Apparated right into the Atrium of the British Ministry of Magic.

The lobby was packed with employees and visitors alike, bustling by. It saddened her to see that no one even paid attention to the elegance of the place. Peacock blue ceilings and golden carvings decorated the lobby, a truly breathtaking view. Marie stood in the middle of the crowd, mouth agape. She had been in here many times, yet, she never got used to the unrequited beauty. After a few minutes, she began to move toward the access lifts. She had about 30 minutes until her meeting with Draco Malfoy, she figured she could visit Edward. Typing in the "Level 3" button on the access lift, she was shot up five levels.

When she stepped out, she was bombarded with multiple wizards trying to rush out to an emergency. She came to the realization that no matter what nation she was in, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would always be crowded and busy. Marie led herself to his office, showing everyone her badge so she would remain undisturbed. Knocking on the door, she heard a deep voice bellow, "Come on in." She swung the door open to reveal Edward in the middle of a discussion with a dark-haired man. His circular glasses were rather large, but brought more attention to his green eyes. "Marie!" Edward cried, jumping up from his seat to crush her in a hug. When he released her, she flattened her pantsuit out from becoming wrinkled. "What brings you to Britain?"

"I'm meeting with _Signore Malfoy,"_ Marie informed him.

The man sitting in the seat scrunched his face, and pried, "Why would you meet with the likes of someone like Malfoy?"

"Potter!"

"Yes sir, sorry," The man Marie finally recognized to be Harry Potter muttered, looking down at the ground.

"This is Harry Potter?" Marie uttered, examining the man once more.

Edward's head bobbed up and down, and conveyed, "Yes, the Boy-Who-Lived, he's one of my Aurors, and a very fine one indeed. He just tends to have a mouth on him sometimes." Harry blushed, refusing to look at Marie. "Harry, this is Marie Benedetti, head of the Italian Department of Magical Cooperation, and representative of Italy. That is why she's meeting with Mr. Malfoy," Edward asserted further.

"Merlin! I didn't realize you were such an important, Ms. Benedetti, please forgive me!" Harry shouted, shooting up from his chair and immediately bowing to her.

Marie just let out a giggle, " _Signore Potter,_ I'm not royalty! Just a government employee like yourself, but I am honored by your hospitality." She shook his sweaty hand, the poor guy embarrassed in front of his boss. Marie then let out a sigh, "I apologize, Edward, but I must be going now, I just wanted to stop by and say _ciao!"_

"Well, it was certainly nice seeing your face again. Just as great as the last time," Edward reminisced, staring at her with an odd sense of longing in his eyes. Marie grew rather awkward, and gave the two men one last wave before fleeing the room and heading to Level 5 for Draco's meeting. When she walked into the office, it was surprisingly low in visitors and complaining people.

Marie strolled up to the first desk and said, " _Scusami,_ I'm Marie Benedetti, and I have a 9 o'clock meeting with _Signore Malfoy."_ The woman slowly looked up from her papers, and pointed to a room in the back. Marie thanked her, but was a little startled by the lack of cheerfulness. She took a large breath, before allowing her knuckles to knock onto the door.

His silky smooth voice came wafting through the crack under the door, "Come." Marie carefully opened the door, with a lot less ferocity than before with Edward. "Marie, how nice of you to join me, and five minutes early. You just couldn't wait to meet with me, could you?"

"Quite the opposite," She responded, taking a seat in the nice, plush chair placed across from him at the desk.

"Listen, Ms. Benedetti, I would gladly appreciate if you can swallow your enormous pride while we meet. You have made me swear to swallow mine, so I suggest you do the same, so we can both work well…together," Draco lectured, leaning forward on the desk as he spoke. His grey eyes bore into her own honey brown ones, and she gave him a single nod, keeping her mouth closed. "Now that is out of the way, I think we will get along just fine," He added.

"I suppose we will."

"Well, you are the veteran here. Lead the meeting, ' _Signorina',_ " Draco teased, finding a bit of joy from seeing Marie's face grow hot with frustration. She clicked open her briefcase, pulling out a stack of papers. She shuffled through them, and then yanked out a yellow packet.

Placing her reading glasses on her face, she cleared her throat and began, "According to my reports, there has been an issue with wild hippogriffs fleeing the British countryside and going all the way into Italy. This is affected hundreds of wizards, _Signore Malfoy,_ "

"Well, you can't just expect me to send out people from Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to catch a couple of stupid hippogriffs."

"A couple? Try a couple hundred. They're fleeing your country because you haven't outlawed the hunting of hippogriffs, so they're coming to us where they know they're safe."

"Laws take time to pass, it could take weeks, maybe months!" Draco exclaimed, exasperated.

Marie crossed her arms, "Then see to it that it is done."

"And what if I don't?"

"Then I will make sure that as the Italian representative to expose Britain's harsh practices on their own magical creatures at the next International Confederation of Wizards meeting. And considering you are Britain's representative and don't strike me as a man to take the heat of others very well, I recommend you agree to my terms," Marie demanded calmly, leaning back in her seat. This is just an average Monday meeting for her. Draco stared at her for a few moments, then had a smile curl upon his lips.

He opened his mouth and said, "Well, I can certainly respect a woman who has the audacity to demand things from a Malfoy. Despite my burning hatred for hippogriffs and apathy whether they go extinct or not, I'll agree to your terms, as long as you agree to help me."

"Of course I'm going to help you, _stolto!_ I'm not going to have some, some _amatore_ mess up some an important law to be put in place," Marie scolded, her fiery eyes showing all her emotion. Draco couldn't help but continue to grin shamelessly at her.

"You're rather feisty, aren't you, Ms. Benedetti?"

"Only when I have to be."

"Well, it certainly is…interesting. Forgive me to mentioning, but I must say, for a half-blood, you are quite a pleasure to be around. I would _almost_ be completely infatuated with a woman like you," Draco divulged, his grin turning into a smirk. He loved playing games like these with women, because whether they liked him or not, they always felt the need to prove themselves.

Marie shrugged, and then challenged, "I am admired by many, an interest to many men, envied by many women, what makes you any different than the many other men who have tried to appease me?" She shifted uncomfortably in chair, completely aware that there wasn't that many men interested in her, and that many girls who envied her. She just wanted to make Draco feel unworthy of her, a feeling he probably wasn't used to.

He thought for a moment, then whispered, "The difference between me and those other men, is that I can have you if I so desired, but you could _never_ have me, even if it was your dying wish." Marie's nose twitched and Draco just sat back and watched as her emotion completely unraveled.

"You're a complete _idiota!_ You couldn't have me if you begged, if you were on you _mani e ginocchia!_ I have never met someone as _stupido e male e pretenzioso_ as you! _Addio!"_ Marie roared, slamming her papers in her briefcase and closing it as she spoke. She rose from her seat, with a pure look of hatred on her face.

"Ms. Benedetti, please, take a seat."

"No, good day, _Signore Malfoy!_ Sadly, I will be seeing you on Wednesday." She huffed, and with those finally words, she spun on her heels, stomped out the door, and shut it with such fury that the trinkets on his desk trembled with fear.

"I like her," Draco mumbled to himself, his face a look of amusement.

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, you got to see some Draco and Marie in action, and well...it's not going very well for them, is it? Don't forget to comment, review, message, like, or share, anything is helpful. Without you guys supported me, I don't know what I'd do! Don't forget, stay awesome, Gotham!**

 **-April**


	4. Venice With a Villian

Marie came storming into the office about an hour and a half after Louis last seen her, and the first thought he had was _I guess the meeting didn't go over very well._ " _Signorina Benedetti,_ you have arrived so early! Did things go badly?" Louis called out, rushing to her side. Part of his job as assistant was to make sure his boss was alright at all times.

"It was very _male_ , Louis. _Signore Malfoy_ is one of the most disrespectful men I've ever met."

"Would you like me to go and change your schedules? Perhaps cancel future meetings with him?" Louis suggested, hoping she would agree so she wouldn't be in such a sour mood. Marie simply shook her head.

"No no. I'm head of Magical Cooperation, so I'm going to have to force myself to cooperate, whether I like the man or not. In addition, there is an extremely important law for him to put in place that I just cannot allow him to mess up. I'm going to have to deal with it, Louis," Marie grumbled, walking to her office.

Louis followed behind her and mumbled in return, "If you say so, _Signorina._ " When she got home that day, she immediately began to write her mother. She couldn't talk over the phone right now, she was too furious. So, she sat down at her desk, and began to write:

 ** _Dear Mother,_**

 ** _Everything is going fine at work. I'm extremely excited to see you all on Christmas, and I apologize for not keeping in touch as often. Work has been have busy, but when has it not? Britain has recently appointed a new Head of Magical Cooperation. You might know him, his name is Draco Malfoy. He's an extremely maleducto pureblood, whose family was associated with Lord Voldemort himself. So, as you can tell, Britain is lacking in qualified people for this position. I can also inform you that he lives up to his description, for he makes it very hard to get along with him. But, you'll be very proud to know that I am making it work, and plan to do my job, no matter how incompetent my partner may be. Best wishes, and amore a tutti,_**

 ** _Marie_**

Starring at the small note, she let out a sigh, and gave it to her owl, Ciano. "To my mother, Ciano," She whispered, stroking the owl with love. He ruffled his amber feathers, giving a joyous hoot before taking off into the night.

Her house felt so empty, probably because it was. She wasn't accustomed to having anyone over. The last person over was…Edward. Just thinking of his name made her have a weird feeling rise in her stomach. He was so awkward towards her today, she didn't like it at all. But then, her thoughts drifted to Draco's face. She hated practically everything about the man. His insults, his smirk, _god,_ she hated that smirk. She could scream at him, and he'd still have that stupid grin on his face as if it was all one huge joke. "I just need a good night's sleep," Marie mumbled, and trudged into her bed.

Wednesday rolled around quite quickly, starting off horribly for Marie, because as soon as she walked into her office, there Malfoy sat, his left foot resting on his right thigh, hands placed properly in his lap. "Ah, Marie, how nice of you to join me," He taunted, her name practically hissing off his tongue.

"Do not call me by my first name _Signore Malfoy_. I can assure you that we are not friendly towards one another," Marie growled, taking her spot in her own chair behind her desk.

"We can certainly become friendly."

"I will have to pass on that."

"Let me take you out to breakfast, we can discuss business there, and I will be paying. You simply cannot lose."

"I'll be losing by being found in public with the likes of you."

"You don't believe that."

"I'm sure I do."

"Just one breakfast on me. It's the least I can do since our last encounter," Draco offered once more, putting on a little pout.

Marie crossed her arms and snarled, "What makes you want to be so nice to me, all of a sudden?"

"Oh come on, a beautiful and intelligent woman being mad at me? I cannot let that happen, especially when this person is such an important person, like my diplomatic partner. Wouldn't you agree… _Signorina Benedetti?_ "

Her nose wrinkled at his compliment, only muttering the words, "You don't believe what you said."

"Ah, so you don't think I find you quite lovely and wise?"

"Not even a bit."

"What a shame. Well, you'll be glad to know that despite these things, I am not going to waste my time pursuing someone of such…background," Draco said, rolling his eyes. Marie's upper lip twitched, and she slapped her hand down on the table.

"This is exactly what I was talking about!" She yelled, standing from her chair like their last fight, but this time, Draco also stood. He covered his mouth, a fake look of shock on his face.

"Oh my! I forgot about not mentioning your bloodline, silly me! Don't take it personal, just old habits die hard, you know?"

"I'm starting to hope you'll end up dying with those habits, you-you-"

"Prat? Imbocile? Jerk? Twit? I'm sure all of those apply."

"Who made you so high and _potente_? I've been in this department longer than you, and I know this job like _il dorso della mano_. You're blinded if you think you are the superior wizard in this room, and truly lost if you think I'll even give one thought towards a breakfast with you," Marie assured him, stepping away from behind her desk, and towards him, shoving her finger into his chest as she scolded him.

Draco just gave her a sneer, "This is why I find you so interesting. You say all these things about how you despise me, and how you don't care what I saw, and how you don't understand how I can have such a lack of respect for you, when you have yet to cancel our appointments or not blow up when I make a snide remark about you being a halfblood. The most peculiar part of all is through all this shouting, you allow yourself to lay a finger on me, a person you find utterly and horrifyingly disgusting."

Marie slowly looked down at her finger, which was still pressed onto his chest, his calm heartbeat faintly beating into her finger. Draco slowly reached up to take her hand, staring at her the whole time he removed it, painstakingly slow. Still holding on to her hand, he leaned in, and for a split second, Marie thought she was going to let out a scream, but she realized he went past her face, and near her ear. "I suggest you go to breakfast with me. I think you'll feel much safer in the public eye than being locked in your office with a snake. If we stay here, I can't promise you that I can contain myself much longer, my venom is practically dripping out," Draco hissed softly, the heat of his breath tickling her neck. Perspiration poured from her forehead, unsure of what he meant by "venom."

"I suppose…one breakfast can't hurt me," Marie murmured, sounding almost in a trance.

Draco whispered once more in her ear, "Good choice." He gently released her hand, and stepped away from her, leaving her in a trembling mess.

"Now, let's go in town, show me a good place to eat, I'm starved," Draco requested, opening the door to her office to lead her outside the Ministry and into the city. Marie ran her hands through her hair, not looking the man in the eyes. "Where do you wish to go?" Draco asked her, strolling down the streets of Venice. Marie simply shrugged, not even bothering to let her eyes gaze at him. Draco let out a hearty laugh and continued, "Good thing I had a restaurant in mind." He interlocked his arm with Marie's, despite her disapproval, and led her to a waterfront restaurant that she was very familiar with. Edward and her had been here numerous times when they were romantically involved.

Even though the place was bustling with awaiting customers, Draco walked straight to the front desk, told them his name, and was brought to a table overlooking the canal. "How did you manage-"

"I already booked it for us, plus, I _am_ a Malfoy."

"You just assumed I would agree to go to breakfast with you?"

"Why yes, yes I did."

"You're _assurdo_."

"Obviously not absurd enough that you're still here," Draco sneered, the early morning light catching on his eyes to make them seem so much more dazzling. Marie shook her head in disgust to even possibly think he was attractive in any sense. " How about a less touchy subject, what are you getting?" Draco queried.

Marie glanced at the menu then stated, "Coffee and some biscotti. _E tu?_ "

"Just a coffee for me. Have you been here before?" He pressed on, his eyes drifting towards his watch.

Marie nodded thoughtfully, staring dreamily at the water as she said briefly, "Yes, quite a few times."

"With who?"

"Who said it was with someone?"

"Considering you won't look me in the eyes, I'm assuming you came here before with a man," Draco noted, grinning at the slight blush crawling across her cheeks. She looked at him, and slapped the top of his hand, in an almost… _playful_ manner.

"Maybe so, but it doesn't concern you!"

"Is it that Edward git? I've seen the way he looks at you," Draco grumbled, rolling his eyes at Edward's name.

"I thought you liked Edward," She commented, pausing when the waitress arrived. They both ordered, then continued the conversation.

"No, he's a pixie-eared cretin. I simply tolerate him," Draco insulted, leaning back in his seat.

"Oh come off it, his ears aren't too _male_ ," Marie giggled.

"Ah, you must still have feelings for the oaf. What a shame," Draco replied, biting his bottom lip.

Marie shook her head, and sighed, "No, we're through. Why do you care so much?"

"I'm very good at seeing people's potential, so I know you can do much better."

"Oh, really? With who? You?"

"Possibly."

"So you're interested?"

"Ha, no. I just simply am a charming man who loves to flirt with lovely women. Is that a crime?"

"You really are _frustrante_."

"I have heard that one numerous times from numerous women," Draco chuckled, thanking the waitress as she set their coffee and biscotti on the table.

"Why don't you ever stick with one girl? Unless, you already have, do you have someone you-"

"No, I don't. Nor would I like to. Too much commitment, plus, you'd be surprised how many girls are just around me for my family's money," Draco muttered, stirring his coffee gingerly.

Marie felt a pang of sympathy for him, then questioned, "Why though? I mean, besides the obvious factor that you only want to be with purebloods, why don't the purebloods want you?" Draco simply shook his head, and then raised his sleeve. Etched onto his arm was the horrible Dark Mark she had only heard of. It was an ugly thing, mottled, faded, and grossly engraved into his arm. "This? This is why?"

"I walked out on the fight against Harry Potter, so my Dark Mark has become disfigured, more disturbing than a regular one. It shows everyone that I'm a traitor to wizards by siding with Voldemort, but also a traitor to those who supported him. No pureblood wants a traitor like me for life, even if it meant uniting two pureblooded families together. And since both my parents have gone into hiding, well, that doesn't help my case," Draco explained to her, his grey eyes becoming duller.

"I'm terribly sorry, _Signore Malfoy_. We all make mistakes, it's just sad that yours remains upon your arm as a permanent reminder."

He cleared his throat and pulled out a slip of paper, "It doesn't matter anyway, what's done is done. What we should be focusing on is the hippogriff law. I've wrote up a few key factors in this, and I've already got a meeting set up with the head of the RCMC discussing wrangling those foul, beastly things." Marie placed her hands on her lap, giving him a puzzled expression.

"Why are you so rude to these creatures? What have they done to you?"

"Enough," Draco retorted, handing the waitress money as she came over with the bill. "Back in my third year at Hogwarts, I got into a bit of a spat with a hippogriff."

"Ah, and you did absolutely nothing to provoke it? I find that very _difficile_ to believe," Marie said in an annoyed tone.

Draco crossed his arms, and replied, "Even if I did, it had no reason to attempt to maim me. They're useless creatures, and I could care less if they all died. However, since my job is for what is best for everyone, I'm forced to comply to your hostage situation you've put me in."

Marie let out a laugh, "Hostage situation? That's what you think this is? I'm afraid it's called diplomatic solutions, you should try looking into it."

"I'm not one for diplomatic solutions."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"That we should be heading back now."

"We haven't even really discussed much of anything though," Marie protested, but Draco leaned forward, grabbed her hand, and Apparated out of the restaurant. When they landed, Marie was dizzy, leaning against her desk for support. "Why did you bring me back here?" Marie asked, rubbing her eyes.

"What? Are you saying you actually didn't mind being with me? Well, no matter, I have places to be anyway." Draco spoke rapidly, Marie taking notice of his hands beginning to shake.

" _Signore Malfoy,_ are you alright?" Marie called out, reaching out to grab him. His eyes were becoming glassy, his eyes becoming tinted red. The man was stumbling back, right into Marie's bookcase.

"I'm perfectly fine, just back away!" Draco snarled, stretching his arms out to ward her away. Marie look terrified, unsure of what to do.

" _Louis! Louis! Ottenere aiuto!"_ She screeched, but as soon as she got her cry for help out, Draco Apparated out of the office, a tiny puff of black smoke still lingering in his place. Louis burst in with his wand ready, but he just looked around, confused.

" _Signorina Benedetti, stai bene?"_ He managed to articulate.

Marie nodded very slowly, then whispered, "It was just _Signore Malfoy_. He's gone now…you can bring in my next person for their appointment with me."

Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Draco tripped into the entrance of his home, his Apparation only intensifying his visions. The Draught of Peace was up the stairs in his room, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to climb all those stairs. " _Jinx, where are you?"_ Draco wailed for his house elf. Although he was rather fond of Jinx, the house elf was a little hard of hearing since she was born partially deaf. But, his parents gave him Jinx before they went into hiding, thinking it was the best thing for Draco if they weren't there.

Rushing images of Voldemort plagued his mind, swatches of green light, and a scream he couldn't quite place a name to. Draco collapsed on the ground, his vision becoming blurrier by the second. His heart was beating out of his chest, and sweat came out of his pours as if they were crying for him. " _Jinx! Help…me…please!"_ He sputtered, his head falling to the floor. His eyes lazily drifted across the room to see Hermione Granger. She was lying on his floor too, sobbing. Just in his view was the terrible scar his aunt carved into her arm, "mudblood". Tears came streaming from his eyes, and he moaned, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to betray you, just make the nightmares stop!"

"Master? Are you okay?" He heard Jinx say, but her voice sounded so muffled, as if she was underwater.

"Jinx! Get the Draught of Peace, and hurry!" He continued to blubber, curling up into a ball, with his knees into his chest. A mixture of snot and blood ran from his nose. He had never had an attack like this before. They were usually much milder, a few visions and a throbbing headache, nothing unbearable. But now, he felt on the verge of death.

Another quick pulse of images flashed before his eyes, but they soon faded away as he felt the warm potion sliding down his throat. His heart began to slow its beat, and he felt his body grow colder, his sweat now just a clammy discomfort. "Does Master feel better now?" Jinx wondered aloud, placing her tiny hand on his forehead.

Draco swallowed his saliva, and murmured, "Yes Jinx, thank you."

"Does Jinx need to bring Master to his bedroom for sleep?"

"No, I'm fine, just don't let anyone in here until I tell you to allow people back in here," Draco ordered, before his eyes gradually shut, and he disappeared into a deep sleep.

Jinx pet Draco's hair and sighed, "Master needs sleep, Master has had busy day."

 **Thank you guys for reading, I hope you liked this chapter. A little bit of action between the two, with possibly more action in the next chapter, ooooo! Don't forget to review, comment, share, like or message me, any input from you guys is wonderful and I really appreciate it. Your opinions will not go unheard! Thanks, and remember, stay awesome, Gotham.**

 **-April**


	5. Manor Mayhem

**Chapter 5**

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Malfoy hasn't been in the office for the past couple days," The woman behind the desk stated, not looking up at Marie as she continued to write things down on a sheet of notepaper.

"Not here? Where would he be then?" Marie asked, her tone slightly hinting at her anger. The woman finally glanced up at Marie, and pursed her lips. She spun around on in her chair and yanked another piece of paper off a stack and began writing an address.

Sliding it across the desk to Marie, she mumbled, "He should be there if it's truly important you need to speak to him. I can't promise you that he'll let you in though." Marie picked up the sheet, thanked the assistant, and walked out of the department, making sure not to make eye contact with anyone, because she had to see Draco now. The hippogriff situation was getting a bit more complicated, and not to mention, he hadn't shown up to work so she had a few choice words to share with him. She said the address out loud, and Flooed in front of a huge mansion, stumbling on the grass, which was shockingly, a sickly brown color.

"I should have known, Malfoy Manor," Marie huffed, brushing her tan trench coat off and standing up. She took notice that there was no charms on his front lawn to prevent the frigid cold from killing of his plants and coating his walkways. Even his fountain was frozen in place, so Marie decided to do him a favor and produced a charm to keep his fountain water running, despite the freezing temperatures.

Her hat was placed securely on her head, attempting to prevent more cold from seeping in. Her boots crunched the icy sheet below her, and she carefully made her way across the bridge to his home. The ominous black door was the only thing in her way from reaching the man, but something about it sent chills down her spine. She hadn't felt like this when she went to his little gala, but now that she was alone, the true sadness behind this house really showed.

Gulping down all fears, and slowly took her glove off, and rapped quite hard at the door. Her hand instantly numbed to the chill of the air, so immediately after knocking, she slipped the glove back on. "One more week of this, one more week of him before _Natale_. One more week until I see my _famiglia,"_ She muttered to herself before the door swung open to reveal a small house elf in a stained, pink dress. The house elf had sad, blue eyes, and there was an almost forced smile on her face.

"Are you expecting Master?" The little house elf whispered, almost as if she didn't want to wake up someone.

"Is _Signore Malfoy_ here?"

"Master is here, but Master told Jinx not to let people inside. Jinx can let you come back later."

"I'm afraid I can't, please, if you could just let me-"

"Master will not be seeing anyone!" Jinx screeched, going to shut the door before another voice shouted from across the Manor.

"Jinx! Is that Marie Benedetti at my door?"

Jinx slowly looked up at the woman before her and whispered questioningly, "Are you Marie Been-detty?"

"Yes, _dolcezza_."

"Yes, Master! Jinx is with Marie Been-detty!" Jinx called back to Draco.

Draco responded quickly, "Let her in and bring her to my room." Jinx nodded as if Draco was present in the room, and then reached her frail hand up towards Marie.

Marie crouched down so Jinx could take hold of a couple of her fingers and murmured, "Master is very sick and mad, Master told Jinx not to tell others what is wrong."

"Sick?"

"Jinx is bound to silence," Jinx said sadly, as if she wanted to tell Marie dearly, but couldn't. The house elf gestured for Marie to stand, and she led her up the grand staircase. Marie observed the eerie paintings on the walls, all depicting past generations of Malfoys. As Jinx walked into a barely-lit bedroom, Marie stopped in her tracks, eye to eye with a painting of the current generation of Malfoys. Draco's parents' cold gaze bore into her, as if they sensed her blood impurities and wished to wring them out themselves. Draco, however, had an odd sense of happiness in his eyes, one she hadn't really seen behind his steely eyes. It was perhaps, the fact that he was around nine or ten in the picture, and hadn't really been exposed to the horrors of the outside world.

Finally, she forced her feet to move, and she stepped inside the bedroom. She took in all the details of the room slowly, making sure not to forget anything. It wasn't very often that people got to go inside the locked doors inside of the Malfoy Manor. The curtain over the window was barely open, just letting in a sliver of dull sunlight hit the glossy wooden floor underfoot. The room itself was a queer, green color, not bright enough to be eye-catching, but not faded enough to look immensely old. There were tons of papers scattered across the floor, crazed doodles all over them. Others were full of notes on something that Marie couldn't make out.

Eventually, her eyes settled on the bed directly in front of her, with Draco Malfoy bundled in blankets, and sinking in hundreds of pillows. Next to his bed was a little nightstand, with an open book, a mug of warm tea, a lamp, and a half-eaten crepe. "Are you done looking at the place? Or would you prefer we spend the next two hours having you memorize every crack and crevice of this Manor?" Draco interrupted sarcastically. Marie's honey brown eyes blinked a couple times before turning towards him.

That's when she noticed a fist-sized stain of something red, something that appeared to be…blood. Draco's eyes followed her stare, and quickly lifted his sheets to cover the stain. He cleared his throat and continued, "Actual, nevermind, take a seat, considering I know you would rather take that offer up in a second." Draco patted the spot on the opposite side of the bloodstain, and Marie carefully sat down.

"Does Master or Ms. Been-detty need anything before Jinx leaves?" Jinx asked nervously, taking notice of the obvious tension in the air.

Marie smiled, " _Grazie,_ Jinx, I think I'll be fine." Draco also slightly grinned, and waved Jinx off. The house elf snapped her fingers, and disappeared in a puff downstairs. Draco slowly turned on his side, facing his body completely towards Marie.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, _Signorina Benedetti_ , but I've gotten quite a bad case of abdominal pain and a horrid earache. None of which are contagious, but I'm treating it currently, and should be back up on my feet by the time it's time for me to take my trip to your office," Draco explained, despite Marie's obvious skeptism.

"Then why was Jinx not allowed to tell anyone?"

"Well, I don't want anyone worrying. Jinx has a tendency to blow things out of proportion. I'd rather just explain it myself."

"Hmm, I suppose. Well, I came to tell you that our little hippogriff negotiation has faced a bit of a hurdle to jump."

"And what is that?"

"You're not the only one who's sick apparently. The British hippogriffs brought some sort of sickness over into Italy, and it's affecting our Italian hippogriffs. It's extremely deadly for the hippogriffs, it's causing their wings to become frail and practically fall off, but in the end, they die. We've got our medical team and Magical Creatures control squad on it currently, but we need you to issue an emergency team of your British department to head over to Italy."

Draco scratched his chin, squinting his eyes at her, before inquiring, "And how are we supposed to pass the abolishment of hunting hippogriffs soon if we send most of the department to Italy?"

"That will have to wait, sadly. This is a lot more important, we need all hands on deck. The longer we wait, the quicker the Italian hippogriff population will go _estinto_. We need as much medical crew members as possible, along with some magical creature control, because we need to start quarantining this before it spreads. So far, it's only present in one forest, but our people can only hold it for so long without any assistance. Can you please help?" Marie said pleadingly. Draco suppressed a smile, finding her vulnerability so innocently intriguing.

He teased, "Oh my, Ms. Benedetti, asking for _my_ help? Not demanding it from me?"

"Only because you're _malato_. It almost makes you pity you, with your feverish, sickly look," Marie scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. Draco pulled his arm from under his blanket, and placed it tauntingly on her thigh. She flinched, her heart pounding out of her chest. What was he doing?

"Well, let me reassure you, I'll get right on it tomorrow. I'll yank myself out of this forsaken house, just for you," Draco promised, moving his hand slowly off her leg and back onto the bed. "Now, you can go hang your coat downstairs, make yourself a bit more comfortable so we can discuss how we plan to get this little hippogriff task force to Italy in time before they all wind up dead. Also, if you could tell Jinx to go into town and get some vegetables for our lunch, that would be quite lovely of you," Draco continued, letting out a tiny yawn.

Marie commented, "I didn't realize I was your maid."

"Of course not, you're worth a bit more than that," Draco replied coolly, giving her a mischievous wink. She popped off the bed, and headed out of the room, Draco's intent gaze following her.

Marie glided along the hallway, taking notice of the paintings again. As she slowed to a near stop, she had now realized they were moving in and out, talking to one another, but for some odd reason, Marie couldn't hear them. Well, every painting was moving around except for the one of Narcissa, Lucius and Draco Malfoy. It must have been because they were alive, but it was still unnatural to not pick up on the conversations of the paintings. It was as if she was blocked from listening.

Shrugging it off, she hurried down the staircase, ripped her coat off, and called out softly, "Jinx! Jinx, are you here?"

"Marie Been-detty! Leaving Master's home so soon?" Jinx articulated, appearing from the shadows of one of the rooms. Marie shook her head, crouching down to be eye-level with Jinx.

"No, not yet, I'm just putting my coat up, and then _Signore Malfoy_ and I have some more… _gli affari_ to discuss. He wanted me to ask you to head into town and get some vegetables for lunch, do you mind?"

"Jinx does not mind one bit! Jinx would be happy to go into town for Marie and Master!" Jinx said joyfully, and right afterwards, she snapped her fingers and vanished just as she did upstairs. Marie smiled, finding quite a fondness for the little house elf. Her eyes settled on an open door down the hallway, with a faint light trickling out. Curiosity getting the best of her, almost in the trance, Marie drifted towards the room.

As she grew closer, the air grew colder, and the faint light glowed a brighter white color, as if it was expecting her. When she walked through the door, the light faded back to a normal glow, to reveal a Pensieve. Almost hypnotically, Marie came even closer, eventually standing directly over it, staring down upon the silvery tendrils dancing around in the basin. It almost seemed to whisper to her, beckoning her to view the thousands of Malfoy memories that lay right at her fingertips. The enchanting light enveloped her, filled her with such warmth, that she gave in, and placed her head inside the Pensieve.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Draco sat quietly in his bed, tapping his fingers on his stomach, awaiting Marie's return. She had been gone for a few minutes, but perhaps she was using the bathroom. Women always were freshening up, and he knew it took them years to do it, so he wasn't incredibly worried. That was until he felt a sharp pain shoot in his chest, his breath hitching dramatically. " _Traitor…coward…failure,_ " Voldemort's voice hissed in his head, Draco realizing that his curse was flaring up once again.

"No, not now. Please, not now," Draco moaned, clutching his hand to his heart as he felt another stabbing feeling in his chest, and that's when the wretched coughing began.

"Abraxas, hurry up, you've got fifteen minutes before we go out to dinner with the Nott's!" A woman of perhaps her late 30's screeched. Marie was in the backyard of the Malfoy Manor, except, it couldn't be. It was much less dreary-looking, and there was a garden, decorating with millions of blossoming flowers.

An adolescent boy she assumed to be Abraxas responded, "Alright Mum, it'll be quick!" The boy rushed into the garden, disappearing in the six-feet tall bushes. Marie followed the boy without even moving or thinking, almost as if she teleported. "Sarah! Sarah, are you here?" Abraxas said hurriedly, crouching down and stepping with extreme caution. A minute later, a black-haired girl popped out from the opposite side of the bushes, a huge grin on her face. She was dressed almost improperly, with a relaxed white shirt and some baggy pants. Unlike Abraxas, who was dressed entirely in a black suit with matching shoes.

"You would not believe the hell I went through to get here, Abraxas! I went through a dozen charms before I finally made it past the magical barrier out on the edge of the property!" Sarah panted, bending over to catch her breath.

"Well, now you're here. I told my parents I was going to go water the plants in the center of the garden, so they don't know you're here."

"I still don't get why they can't know that we hang out."

"My parents are really strict about the type of people I hang out with. Especially with us going into Hogwarts next year."

"What do you mean 'type of people'?"

"You know, that whole bloodline thing. With your mom being a Muggle and all, well, they'd be really mad at me."

"Well, what did you need me for?" Sarah asked, not amused. She obviously hated when Abraxas brought up bloodlines.

"Since I couldn't see you on your birthday, I wanted to give you this," Abraxas mumbled, pulling out an emerald necklace from his pocket. He placed it in Sarah's hand and went on, "My mom has tons of jewelry, so she won't mind. I doubt she'll even notice, to be completely honest." Sarah's mouth was wide open, and she held the necklace tightly to her chest.

"Abraxas, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you," She whispered, before crushing him in a hug. Just before Abraxas said something back, Marie heard a bloodcurdling yell. At first, she thought it was part of the memory, but she sprung up from the Pensieve, and in a moment, she realized it was Draco upstairs.

Marie slid her wand out of her pocket and raced up the stairs, screaming, " _Signore Malfoy? Signore Malfoy? Dove sei?"_ She grabbed the door frame to stop her momentum and swung herself inside the bedroom, ready to cast a spell on someone, but no one was in there. Except Draco, writhing on the floor, letting out another roar.

She threw her wand on the bed, and crouched down by his side, rolling him on his back. Blood was trickling down from his mouth and his nose in heavy streams, unable to stop. " _What happened?"_ She cried, feeling tears streaming down her face as the poor man continued to scream, as if he couldn't hear her. She propped him on her lap and began wiping the blood away on her shirt, but he pushed himself off her in a random convulsion, his noises dulled down as he silently twitched all over the floor.

 _"Signore Malfoy, please answer me!"_ She pleaded, placing him on his back again and shaking his shoulders.

He clenched his eyes clothes and grabbed fistfuls of his hair before shouting, " _Get out of my head! Leave me be!"_

" _Draco!"_ Marie sobbed, ripping his hands out his hair.

The sound of his name coming from her mouth almost ripped him out of his episode entirely, giving him just enough time to utter, "I need Draught of Peace."

As soon as those words spilled from his mouth, he began coughing uncontrollably, and his nose started bleeding heavier than before. His nails clawed at the floorboards, and he kicked his feet as hard as could, as if trying to expel a demon from his body.

" _I didn't do anything, please stop!"_ Draco bawled, as his body began another series of terrifying tremors.

Marie lunged on the bed, snatched up her wand and screeched, " _Accio Draught of Peace!"_ She waited impatiently, her eyes darting around the room, looking for a second plan in case the potion didn't appear. But it did, the vial zooming into the room and right into her open hand. She fell to her knees right by Draco and pried open his mouth, trying to stop his hyperventilating. Draco's eyes began to roll back in his head, as his back arched and arms slammed onto the floor almost rhythmically. Marie popped open the top of the vial, and dumped most of the content into his mouth, leaving a small swig in case something happened again and she needed more.

The convulsions slowed to a stop, and his body eased back softly on the floor, his breathing calming to a mere huff. Marie let out a deep sigh, before looking down at the man she once believed was so cold and intimidating. Now, looking at his peaceful, yet bloodied, pale face, she came to accept that it was all just a mask.

 **Hey guys! Sorry that this chapter was so delayed, I haven't gotten a chance to do much writing this past week. I believe I'll be writing the next chapter fairly quickly, but the one after that one might take a wee bit longer because I have to do some chapter updates for my other Harry Potter fanfic "Ignition". So be on the look out for those. As always, don't forget to help me out with your reviews, messages, likes or shares, I appreciate everything you guys do! Don't forget, stay awesome, Gotham! (Credit to Anna Akana for that catchphrase lol)**

 **-April**


	6. Wounded Warrior

**Chapter 6**

His eyes were drowning in fire. The whole place was engulfed in it, everywhere painted in the dancing colors of yellow, orange and red. Draco spun around, looking for an escape, he had no clue where he was, or why he wasn't burning to death. That's when he heard the scream, the same scream that had haunted him every time he had one of his attacks. It was shrill and pain-filled, and at the moment, he couldn't think of a sadder noise than that one. The scream held so emotions, like a plea for help, a cry of anger, a whisper of defeat, a hiss of confusion. Every time he heard the scream, he wanted to run to the person, to find who it belonged to. But his legs could never move, and he would always remember, it was just a dream.

In that moment of realization, he sat up abruptly in his bed, confused where he was for a minute. It was his bedroom, but it was dark outside, so he must have been passed out for a very long time. He was sweating profusely and panting, looking down to see that he was wearing a different shirt than before, and that his body was wrapped tightly in blankets as it once was. The memories of his last attack hit him in a wave, washing over him all at once.

That's when Draco remembered about Marie. She was there, she saved him, she _said his name_. The fact she said his first name was the most memorable piece of the whole situation, and he couldn't place why that mattered so much to him. Just on cue, Marie walked in, her body covered in a robe, her hair damp from an apparent shower. "I see you've decided to join us," Marie taunted, delicately sitting in a seat that was placed directly by his bedside. He recognized that stool belonged in his parent's old room, and he began to worry what she saw in there. Noticing the expression on Draco's face, she reassured him, "Don't worry, I didn't look around the room. Believe me, I was in a bit of a rush trying to make sure you didn't _muori_."

"How long was I out?"

"I'd say a good ten hours."

"And you've stayed here the entire time?"

"For the most part, I had Jinx watch over you this last hour so I could go home quickly and get cleaned up. There's some dinner downstairs that Jinx made if you think you can walk, but if you don't, Jinx and I would be _contento_ to help," Marie offered, feeling his forehead to check for fever. He was still on the hotter side of a normal temperature, but he thankfully wasn't burning up anymore.

Draco nodded, then mumbled, "I can make it downstairs." He sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, but didn't quite stand up yet. He almost pondered the thought, perhaps considering if it was worth the trouble. Marie took note of the ghostly look of his face that the moon cast on him. He must have been eating very little in the past couple days, because he was much paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed more prominent than before.

She stood from her chair, and said lightheartedly, "Don't be a _stolto_ , let me help." He let out a grunt and raised his arm so she could place her arm around his back for support. They both rose up, Draco a bit wobbly, so Marie tightened her grip around him.

"I never would have imagined _the_ Marie Benedetti bearing to touch me," Draco chuckled, letting out a shallow cough after speaking.

Marie rolled her eyes and responded, "Well, I'm not _that_ cruel of a person." Draco grinned, catching a whiff of cinnamon as her hair brushed past his face when she turned her head. She wasn't horrible-looking, she was actually quite lovely, but he knew she would never actually like someone of his nature, if she ever found out. Sure, she knew he once sided with Voldemort, but she didn't know the extent of it. In Italy, they didn't really know of all the horrible things the Death Eaters had done, just the fact they had done horrible things. He planned to keep his past hidden from her, for their own good.

Draco knew she was only acting this way because he was hurt, and then a couple days from now, it would go back to hostility. When they made it all the way downstairs, they turned right into the dining hall, Marie gently setting Draco down in a seat.

"Thank you," Draco sighed, leaning back in his seat, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Is soup okay?" Marie asked, before heading into the kitchen.

"Yes, soup is wonderful," Draco called out, hearing Marie and Jinx chat softly between themselves. When the two came in, Jinx held a bowl of soup, and Marie carried the other. Jinx set hers down across the table from Draco, and Marie placed her bowl in front of him.

"Do you need anything else?" She questioned worriedly, as Jinx handed her a wet towel. She began to wipe Draco's face and neck off, as if he was a child.

"I'm fine, trust me, do not be so concerned," Draco promised, before grabbing his spoon and shoveling soup into his mouth. Marie gave him a tart look, and then faced toward Jinx.

"Jinx, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Jinx looked shocked at such a proposal, but shook her head and said, "No thank you, Ms. Been-detty, Jinx will go into the kitchen and clean a little, then go into her room."

"You should take a bowl of soup with you into the room with you, you worked very _duro_ on it." Jinx glanced nervously at Draco, and he gave her a quick nod of approval. Jinx gave a little bow before hurrying off into the kitchen. Marie finally took her seat at the table, and tasted a spoonful of the soup. "Is she not allowed to eat your food?"

Draco shrugged, then stated, "She never really bothered to ask, so I just let her eat whatever she wanted to." Marie's eyes bored into him, as if she could see all his secrets right in his eyes.

"Why did you lie to me?" She finally hissed, setting her spoon down in her dish and crossing her arms. Draco didn't dare look at her, just continuing to eat his soup.

"I don't think my health conditions are really much of your business or concern, really," Draco claimed. Marie bit her lip, her nose scrunching up with slight frustration, the common facial features Draco had come accustomed to.

"Considering you almost died, I believe I have some right to know what is wrong with you," Marie expressed, her eyes softening. Draco shook his head, now setting his spoon down too.

Draco spoke lowly, "I think it is best if we move on from this topic. You saved my life, and I thank you, but that is as far as I will continue this conversation."

"No, I won't have it. You tell me what is happening with you this instant, _Signore Malfoy!_ " Marie shouted, slamming her hand on the table, her face growing pink as it usually did when she yelled at him.

Draco just laid back calmly in his seat and uttered, "You called me by my first name earlier." Marie's mouth remained open, the color draining from her face, besides her cheeks, which were now bright red.

"Yes, so what?"

"So, you said you wouldn't call me by my first name, and that I shouldn't call you by yours. _So_ , why did you call me by my first name?"

"I don't see how this mat-"

"It matters because despite all these angry things you yell and holler, you're the one who broke your own rule. You must have a reason."

"I was just scared, and you weren't responding to your last name," Marie grumbled, a look of defeat spreading across her face.

Draco sneered, "That's the only reason?"

Marie pushed a couple strands of her hair out of her face and sighed, "You're not a terrible person, _Signore Malfoy_ , and I know you don't mean the things you say, you just think you do. I saw you at your weakest point, so don't think you can fool me with your false displays of disdain for me."

Draco pursed his lip, now very solemn, only giving her a nod. A chill ran down his spine, he wasn't sure how to act towards her now. But after a few seconds of sitting in his thoughts, he finally proposed an idea, "Fine, you caught me, Ms. Benedetti. How about from now on, we agree to both behave ourselves and refrain from insults. But, I would prefer this relationship be kept…professional."

Marie and him both locked eyes for the longest time, before she smiled, "I believe I can do that, _Signore Malfoy_ ,"

"As much as a professional relationship goes, I say we don't make habits of visiting each other's households," Draco warned stoically.

Marie closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath, "I suppose so, but I will be checking in every now and then, unless you tell me what this 'sickness' is." Draco bit the inside of his cheek, keeping his mouth shut. He couldn't reveal to her what it really was, no one but Jinx knew what it really was.

But, despite his attempts to stay quiet, he suggested, "How about if you can go the next week of meetings without releasing that temper of yours, and try not to get too chummy with me, I can stop by during Christmas break and…explain a few things to you."

Marie let out a rather loud giggle in response to his deal, "Not get too _amichevole_? _Signore Malfoy_ , you were the one who said we should be friends when we went to breakfast."

"Yes, well, I change my mind."

"Why?"

"This isn't really a topic of discussion, I assure you."

" _Bene,_ then how about this, who is Abraxas?" Draco stiffened, the air chilling around them all.

"How do you know about him?" Draco growled, running his hand through his hair sharply. Marie was stuck, unsure of whether to lie to him or not, but she figured that honesty was probably the best policy in the Malfoy Manor.

"I…the Pensieve called to me and I used it, and it showed me a memory, of a boy named Abraxas."

" _You used the Pensieve?"_ Draco asked, his voice raising.

"I didn't realize I was doing it, it was like I was in a trance, being hypnotized. I didn't see anything bad, just a boy meeting a girl named Sarah in the gardens out back," Marie expressed, trying to make her errors sound not as bad.

Draco took a couple breaths, trying to cool down, then remarked, "You said you were…in a trance. Was it speaking to you?"

"Yes, but I couldn't understand it. All I know was it was in an almost, encouraging tone."

"Are you sure you didn't perform a spell on it, allowing you to use it?"

"I'm positive I didn't… _mi dispiace_ , I didn't mean to-"

"Come back here tomorrow, instead of me going to Italy," Draco demanded, managing to stand up, even though he was grasping the table with such intensity to prevent crumpling to the floor.

" _Signore Malfoy_ , you really shouldn't-"

"I think it's time for you to go, Ms. Benedetti," Draco hissed, his kind eyes now replaced with the cold ones she was once so used to.

Knowing her stay was long overdue, she nodded sadly, and bid him farewell, "Have a good night, _Signore Malfoy,_ I'll see you in the morning."

Marie exited the house, and as the door shut, Draco yelled, "Jinx! Get me the Strengthening Potion!"

As if she was waiting, she ran out of her room with the vial and handed it to him, explaining, "Master will not believe what Jinx had to go through to get a whole crate of the potion. Jinx had to tell them how important Master was, and when they heard Master's name, they immediately put the potions in the crate and sent Jinx on her way. They told Jinx it would easily last a couple months." Draco thanked her and drank the potion in one gulp. He didn't want Marie to see why he really sent Jinx out into Diagon Alley earlier, and now that she was gone, he could finally use it.

His posture straightened, and his legs stopped shaking, allowing himself to stand straight. "Jinx, I'm going into the Pensieve, don't interrupt me, no matter what you hear, do you understand?" Draco clarified, Jinx nodded worriedly, before Draco stomped into the room. The Pensieve's glow faded, now extremely dim and barely lighting the room. He remembered what his parents had told him, about the Malfoy name being tainted with rumors of being traitors, which would affect his ability to use the Pensieve.

Ever since he took ownership of the Manor, the Pensieve would never work for him, nor anyone he tried to use it. Practically every pureblood he knew lined up to use it, and it would never work. And now, Marie Benedetti, a half-blood to say the least, used it? It was impossible, she must have hexed it. "Grandfather, Grandmother, anyone, if you can hear me, please just forgive me and let me see what is inside the Pensieve!" Draco cried, grasping the Pensieve with both hands furiously. It was tradition for every Malfoy to view the memories in the Pensieve once they reached of age. It helped them make better decisions, and be the best pureblood they could be. But ever since he was cowardly and fled from the Dark Lord, the line went cold, the Pensieve refusing to answer to him.

Unable to express his anger in any other way, he dunked his head in the Pensieve, but when he opened his eyes, it was just murky water, no memories flooding him. Draco yanked his head from the Pensieve, breathing heavily. "Cursed thing!" He shouted, throwing his wand at the wall. How did Marie do it? It almost bothered him, that someone like her, someone the Malfoys' would have utterly despised and viewed unworthy, somehow let her see into the Pensieve. Coming to terms he would have to remain baffled for one night before Marie demonstrated to him how she did it, Draco trudged up to his room, ignoring Jinx's offers of help.

 **Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter. Just know that some of the procedures of the Malfoys and how to correct use the Pensieve may delve a little bit off of the original books, because I'm writing how I would view it to work, but I hope you guys like the storyline so far. There's many more twists and turns to be discovered, so stay tuned! Don't forget to leave me your comments/reviews, or message me. Any type of help is fantastic. And, as always, stay awesome, Gotham.**

 **-April**


	7. A Hit to the Heart

**Chapter 7**

" _Signore Malfoy,_ I can see you're recovering rather quickly," Marie noted as she walked inside the Manor.

"Jinx got me some Strengthening Potions, they really work wonders. Now, I've only got time for a hour, because I've got a meeting with the head of the Magical Creatures Control department to send out a team to help with your hippogriff problem for now," Draco explained as he led her down the hallway.

Marie was astonished at his call action, immediately expressing her gratitude, "Thank you so much! I didn't think you would move on this so quickly!"

"It's my job."

"It's more than that. You care."

"I care about keeping my job."

"That's not what I mean." Draco spun around, glaring at her.

He spoke with a barbed tongue, "If you think for one moment that I seriously care about pleasing you, or saving these hippogriffs, you are sadly mistaken, Ms. Benedetti." Marie's eyebrows furrowed, taken back by the tone that was laced with bitterness.

"Why so _aspro_? You've always been very sarcastic and almost playful with me…why the sudden change?" Marie wondered aloud.

Draco shook his head, hissing, "I was never playful, and as I told you, this is a professional relationship only. I was mistaken to think we can be friends." Marie grabbed his hand, stopping him from walking to the room with the Pensieve.

"That's not why. You're upset about something, I can sense it. Why are you treating me this way?"

"Don't touch me, halfblood!" Draco snarled, retracting his hand from her grip. Marie's mouth was open wide, truly shocked by his change in attitude towards her.

"If _you_ think for one second that I will stand here and let you treat me harshly-"

"I know, you'll leave. But I can't let you do that."

"And why not?"

"Just, please, look inside the Pensieve, tell me what you see, and you can be on your way. If you leave, I won't give you the help you need," Draco threatened, his eyes narrowing on her.

Marie gulped and gave him a mere nod, before shuffling into the glowing room. With a moment of hesitation, Marie dunked her head inside the Pensieve, the world swirling around her. When the images cleared, it showed Abraxas, a bit older, probably around 12 years of age. He was in a group of other boys, all dressed in their robes, with a hint of green on their clothing.

"Abraxas! Abraxas!" Someone squealed from behind the boy, causing the whole group to turn. It was Sarah, grinning widely at him. Her robes were covering a different uniform, a yellow one.

"Do you know that girl?" One of the kids asked Abraxas, speaking as if he had a bad taste on the back of his tongue.

Abraxas turned back towards Sarah, his eyes clouding as he chuckled, "Of course not, Sebastian. Why would I be in association with a Mudblood?" Sarah's expression was a picture of pure confusion, unsure of what was happening.

"Abraxas, what are you talking about? We're friends!" Sarah reminded him, her eyes wide.

Abraxas sneered at her, "Slytherins' aren't friends with Mudbloods, especially the pure-blooded ones. I suggest you get lost."

"Yeah, we don't want to be dirtied by being around your air," Sebastian joined in, spitting at her feet. Marie stepped back in shock at the scene, wanting to help Sarah so badly, but stopped in her tracks as she watched the next minute unfold.

Sarah leaped forward, grabbing Abraxas' hand and begging, "Abraxas, please! You're upset, aren't you? I can tell, why are you doing this to me?"

Abraxas stared at her for a moment, then yanked his hand away and growled, "Don't touch me, Mudblood!"

It was the exact same moment that Marie had just shared with Draco. Sarah had Marie's same expression, truly hurt by what her best friend had just done to her. "Fine, do not ever talk to me ever again Abraxas Malfoy!" Sarah screamed, before running in the opposite direction.

Another one of the boys yelled after her, "Good riddance, you dirty witch!" Abraxas seemed extremely hurt, like he wanted to chase after her, but he couldn't. Not after what he had done. The scene blurred, and soon cleared to another one, revealing Sarah, curled up in a ball behind one of the pillars, sobbing. It broke Marie's heart to see the little girl so sad, but that's when she noticed another figure walking towards her. It was Abraxas, his eyes red, his expression blank.

"Sarah? Sarah!" Abraxas said in a hushed voice, running over to her. She glanced up at him, and then continued to sob. "Please, don't ignore me. I'm so sorry, I just, I didn't want them to think-"

"You didn't want them to think you'd be friends with my kind. I get it." Sarah sniffled angrily, placing her head on her knees.

"Sarah, you know I didn't m-"

"But you said it, Abraxas! I see where your loyalty lies, to yourself. Whatever makes you look better is the right choice. That's why you never showed me to your parents, that's why you put on that show for your 'pals'. I see where I stand, and that's why I think we shouldn't continue this anymore." Sarah concluded, standing up, allowing Abraxas to take in the full view of her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"You can't be serious." Abraxas uttered, completely appalled by her choice.

"I'm completely serious. Stay away from me. Leave me alone!" She shouted, turning away from him. Sarah expected him to say something, some sort of last words to her, but when she turned back towards him, he was gone. Falling to her knees, she began to let out another wail, and with that, the memory faded, and Marie pulled her head from the Pensieve.

Draco jumped from his position leaning against the wall, instantly berating her with questions, "What did you see? Was it of Abraxas? How old was he?"

Marie felt a tear slip out of her eye, remembering the memory in full detail. Draco stepped closer, puzzled. "Are you…crying?"

"He was 12, and at Hogwarts. His friend, Sarah, tried to talk to him, but he yelled at her and called her a Mudblood to impress his friends! They all just laughed at her, and made her cry, and when Abraxas went to apologize for the things he did…she said to never talk to him ever again!" Marie exclaimed, wanting to get it all out of her system.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean? It was more than enough, it was terrible!"

"I'm not allowed to see memories like _that?_ " Draco roared, hitting his fist against the wall. "That's what you're hiding from me? Common pureblood knowledge?" Draco continued, seeming to be talking to the ceiling.

"Y-y-you…c-can't use the Pensieve?" Marie stuttered, cocking her head at the peculiar situation. Draco didn't answer her, his back turned to her as he grasped the wall. "That's why you're treating me like this? Because I can do something you can't? Because you're _geloso?_ "

"I'm not jealous of you!" Draco bellowed, spinning around furiously.

Marie decided to test the waters, and continued to go on, stepping closer to him, "You're jealous that someone that isn't a Malfoy, a pathetic _halfblood_ has access to hundreds of years of your family history. You're-"

"Shut up!" Draco wailed, striking Marie across the face with such ferocity that she crumpled almost on impact. She clutched her face, letting out a wrenching cry, tears streaming down her face. Draco's eyes widened as he grasped his hand in complete horror. His Dark Mark tingled, and he could almost hear the Dark Lord laughing at him. Draco fell to his knees, babbling, "Marie, I, I don't, that, don't, I didn't mean to-"

"You're exactly like him, you _uomo cattivo!_ You're exactly like Abraxas!" Marie shrieked, a tiny streak of blood coming from her left nostril. Draco shook his head, his face twisted his pain at what he had just done.

He spoke with such little conviction, almost as if he wasn't even sure if he was right, "Marie, please, don't say that. I'm not like that."

"You treat me like _spazzatura_ because of my bloodline!"

"No, that's not true."

"You know it's true, you bastard!" Marie cursed, her brown eyes bloodshot. Draco's lip trembled, on the brink of crying himself. He had never hit someone like that, especially someone he didn't dislike.

He pleaded, "Marie, please, I don't know what came over me."

Marie managed to stand from her spot, and gave him one last disgusted look before walking out the door with her final words being, " _Ciao, Signore Malfoy."_

 **And there you have it, yet another chapter. Sorry it was short, it was mostly dialogue, but I think we fit enough, erm, emotion into that one. I hope you guys liked it, and I'll try and update soon. Don't forget to review, it helps me make the story better and more enjoyable for you guys! As always, stay awesome, Gotham!**

 _ **-**_ **April**


	8. Returning Home

**There are some asterisks throughout the story to explain what certain thing mean, and there will be a list at the bottom if you would like to check the information. Thanks!**

There was nothing more that Marie wanted than her holiday break, which gladly came shortly after a week of rigorous work with the hippogriff situation. She had spent nearly every day out with the hippogriffs, helping setting up quarantine centers, while also trying to protect the other hippogriffs from getting ill, or from getting another sickness from the extreme cold. It was hard work, especially when she was spending half the time avoiding her partner, despite his presence in the project.

There was one occasion where they made eye contact on complete opposite sides of a work tent, but Marie kept it brief and headed on her way to continue work. By the end of the week, she was glad to announce to her office that she would be back as normal once her holiday was over, since the hippogriff situation was being neutralized and there was no significant spikes in more sickness. With the British and Italian Department of Magical Creatures Regulation and Control working together, they managed to whip up a few potions to help the hippogriffs. Once all the hippogriffs were back to peak condition, it would be about another month or two before the anti-hunting law was passed in Britain, and then the extraction forces could take the hippogriffs back to Britian, where they would then be safe again. It would definitely be quite a story to tell her family.

The first couple days of her holiday was spent sleeping, since she didn't get much sleep anymore. Between tossing and turning over work, or her encounter with Draco, it certainly didn't make it easy to get comfortable. On Christmas Eve, Marie had packed her things and made her way to her parents' house, the old-fashioned way, which was by bus. She wasn't really used to being in the _Babanno*_ parts of Italy, but since her father was a _Babanno_ , her mother sacrificed her job as a teacher at Beauxbatons to be with him. Nonetheless, she was overjoyed to see her parents, and not only them, but her younger sister and brother, who were attending Beauxbatons as a sixth year and fourth year. She remembered her years at Beauxbatons with fondness, as she stared out the window of the bus.

When the bus stopped around the neighborhood of her parents' house, she hopped off and practically ran to the baby blue home, which was being swallowed in pristine, white snow. Knocking on the door, grinning widely, Marie stood there, waiting anxiously. When it swung open, it was her mother, her graying hair pulled back in a bun, her apron wrapped around her with her wand slightly sticking out of the pocket. " _Marie, mio amore! Sei a casa! Giovanni, Marie é a casa!"_ Her mother squealed, wrapping her in a tight embrace, since they only saw each other on Easter and Christmas, and sometimes for Carnevale*. Marie's father came rushing out of one of the room, going through the same ritual her mother just went through.

"It seems we haven't seen you in millions of years! My daughter is growing into such a beautiful young woman!" Marie's father exclaimed, staring at his daughter with such intensity, as if he might never see her again.

" _Papá,_ don't be so _drammatico!_ I've always looked the same," Marie insisted before stepping inside the house. It had the same vanilla scent she had grown accustomed too since she was a little girl, with the little mimosa flowers always in extravagant vases spread throughout the house. The hallway in front of her lead directly to the backyard, which was coating their hilly terrain with a wonderful coat of white. " _Mamma,_ where is Dante and Rosalia?" Marie questioned as she poked her heads in the rooms.

"We're right here!" She heard a voice behind her say, and she spun on her heels to see Dante and Rosalia each holding the family dogs, Taddano and Primo.

Marie wrapped her siblings in a warm hug and laughed, "Soon, I won't have to bend over a little to hug you both!" Her brother, Dante, who was a fourth year, looked as if he had just begun puberty, his black hair sprouted a little bit on his chin, and his awkward, lanky figure giving it away. He looked practically like their father, almost a spitting image, but younger. Rosalia, who was a sixth year, looked like a combination of both parents, with her father's dark hair, but her mother's light, hazel eyes.

"Marie, do you want to play out in the snow?" Dante asked eagerly, setting Taddano on the floor.

Rosalia followed his lead and giggled, "Yeah, like old times, since you're too _zoppo_ to stay past _Natale_ *!" Marie's mother muttered an incantation, and the duster began sweeping things off the bookcase, dust sprinkling everywhere.

"I'm sorry guys, but I've got to go back to work the 27th. I would stay the day after _Natale_ if I could, but I just have to make sure everything is in order at my house before we go back. But of course, I'll go out in the snow with you guys, once I put my stuff in the guest bedroom."

"Meet you in five minutes!" Dante announced, and raced in the room to slip on his boots. Marie smiled, relieved that she was spending a little bit of time with her family after such a harsh week. She changed into a heavier coat, and placed a beanie on her head. After, she waddled into the guest bedroom and laid her luggage on the bed. Feeling the cool, crisp air tickle on her nose, Marie sneezed, a gust of snow blowing outwards. "Come on, Marie, you know how the rules go," Dante called, hiding behind his wall he built to protect himself. He had made all three of them a separate wall to hide behind. The game was very simple, the last one who wasn't hit with a snowball won the game.

Rosalia smirked, "You're not going to win this time, Dante."

"Yeah, well I'm the reigning champion!"

"For one year!"

Marie cut in, holding a snowball firmly in her hand and teased, "Well, I'm about to beat both of you in one second if you don't stop arguing and hide." The two both shrieked as if they were tiny children and dove behind their wall as Marie launched it at Dante. He tumbled behind his wall, the snowball landing in the space besides him. Marie launched herself behind her wall, and the fight had begun.

Snowballs were being launched in all directions, the three all in fits of laughter. As Rosalia was bent over to make another snowball, Dante pegged her right in the back of the head with a snowball. She let out a squeal, as the cold powder fell down her neck and into the back of her shirt. Dante practically keeled over laughing, and in that moment, Marie took her chance and smacked him right in the back with a snowball. He was completely shocked, falling over into the snow. "It seems as if I have dethroned the champion!" Marie giggled, helping him up off the ground.

" _Bambini! Come inside_!" Marie's mother yelled from the kitchen window, and they all practically ran inside. "Whoa, slow down, _bambini_ , before you break something," Marie's father chuckled, taking a seat.

"I'm starved, _Papá!"_ Rosalia moaned as she took her seat at the dining table. Dante took his seat across him her, and Marie right next to her.

"Rosalia, we go through this every year, no eating the day before _Natale_ ," Marie noted, before her mother joined them at the table. She had placed a pitcher of water with glasses on the table if anyone needed any. It was Italian tradition to fast on Christmas Eve.

"Yes, well, it is such an important time of year," Marie's mother replied.

The family was silent for a while, just enjoying the warm atmosphere when Marie's father asked, "So, how has work been?" Marie nodded, picking up a glass from the middle of the table.

"It has been good. We've been working on a project with the British to end the hunting of hippogriffs there, since they are now coming to Italy where they are safe. The project has been very successful lately," Marie explained, looking down at the empty table, a little part of her wishing there was food.

Marie's mother raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Hippogriffs? They still hunt them in Britian? How distasteful."

Dante raked his fingers across the table and stated, "They're doing unicorn races back at Beauxbatons when we get back. Each team of students have been raising a unicorn for the races, I think ours is going to win."

Marie nodded, remembering out loud, "I remember when we did that. Our unicorn lost by practically a second, but you'll have a lot of fun, Dante."

"I've got O.W.L's to worry about," Rosalia muttered, gingerly tapping her fingers on the table as her stomach let out a deep rumble.

Marie looked at her and responded confidently, "You'll do just fine, you're one of the most _inteligente_ witches of your age. They really aren't as bad as you may think, I passed mine, no problem."

"I'm not as _inteligente_ as you."

"No, you're more." Marie smiled, placing her hand on Rosalia's slumped shoulder.

Marie's mother coughed, and ordered, "Alright, Dante and Rosalia, you know what to do. Get cleaned up, and hop off to bed, or else _Babbo Natale_ won't visit."

Dante rolled his eyes and groaned, " _Mamma!_ We're old enough to know that _Babbo Natale_ isn't real."

"Fine, then I won't put your presents under the tree, and I'll make sure to tell _La Befana*_ that you don't want any presents on the 6th either," Marie's mother sighed jokingly, which caused the two children to spring up and raced to the bathrooms.

Marie's father continued the conversation, "So, Marie, do you think you'll be able to come for Epiphany*?"

Marie scrunched her face up and responded sadly, "I don't think so, work is very busy this time of year. Lots of Christmas events going all around, a lot of wizards want to talk to the head of Magical Cooperation."

Marie's mother stood and pat him on the back, saying, "No worries, we understand completely."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to go get changed and head off to bed so I can wake bright and early," Marie excused herself, heading off to the guestroom. She changed into a nightgown, and tied her hair into a sloppy bun. Her facial cleanser sat in her bag, so she picked it up and took it into the bathroom connected to the guestroom. As she washed her face, she felt a sharp pain in her face, and looked up to see the giant, purple bruise on her face forming again.

She cursed under her breath, realizing her potion had worn off. Over the past week, she had purchased a concealing potion that would get rid of the bruise, so her parents would see and ask. But now, it had worn off, and when she scoured her bag, panic hit her when she couldn't find the vial. She had left it sitting on her dresser, and there was no way she could get it now. Marie sat on her bed for a while, just thinking, and when she saw the lights go out in the living room, she wrapped herself in a coat, put on her boots, and slipped out the front door.

Much to her dismay, her mother was sitting in one of the rocking chairs, looking at the snow falling from the sky. Her mother turned towards her in shock, and exclaimed, "Marie! You scared-what happened to your face?" Marie gulped, and took a seat next to her mother.

"It's nothing, _Mamma_ , I was just going to head back home really quick to get a potion to fix it."

"We have potions here, in my medicine cabinet."

"I know, but I didn't want you to see. It's a bit too late for that now," Marie chuckled softly, trying to lighten to mood.

Her mother, however, was very unhappy, and added, "Someone did this to you. Who hit you, Marie?"

" _Mamma,_ really, it's-"

"Was it that Malfoy you were telling me about?" Marie's mother interrogated further, her eyes widening at the silence her daughter was giving. "Where is he? I'll go find him right now! How dare anyone lay their hand on my daughter!"

"No, it's okay, I'm handling it. It's not that big of a deal, just a disagreement and I may have said a few provoking things. It's really nothing to be concerned about," Marie insisted, trying to make the situation sound harmless.

" _Amore_ , you can't be okay with this. He hit you," Her mother demanded, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"I'm not okay with it, and I'm dealing with the situation currently. Just don't worry, and please don't tell _Pap_ _."_ Marie begged, a tear streaming down her cheek.

Placing a hand gently on Marie's bruised cheek, her mother nodded, clearly upset and suggested, "Alright, I won't tell him, but let's get you inside and get rid of that bruise."

Hand-in-hand, mother and daughter, the two carefully snuck back in the house to go take care of Marie.

 _ **First *: Italian name for Muggle**_

 _ **Second *: Basically the equivalent to Mardi Gras, celebrated 40 Days before Easter.**_

 _ **Third *: "Natale" means Christmas**_

 _ **Fourth *: La Befana is an old Italian tradition of an old woman going to your house and giving you presents, so basically the equivalent to Santa Claus, or "Babbo Natale".**_

 _ **Fifth *: When La Befana visits, which is the 6th of January, is Epiphany. It marks the end of the Christmas celebration and there are many festivals. Commonly, Italians wait for La Befana, but Babbo Natale is newer tradition.**_

 **Alright, so I hope you guys liked this chapter. There's no Draco in it, but don't worry, we've got him coming. Also, leave me some opinions on if you would prefer me to asterisk things like Italian words to make it easier for you guys, or another way to make your reading experience carefree! Thank you all again, and don't forget to leave a review to help me make the story better! Love to all, and don't forget, stay awesome, Gotham!**

-April


	9. Surprise Visitor

It was _Natale_ morning, and Marie's brother and sister were already unwrapping presents by the time she awoke from her slumber. She hadn't slept this well in a while. "Marie, look!" Dante shouted, holding up a broomstick. "It's about time, you've had that old hand-me-down from Marie this whole time," Rosalia muttered, rolling her eyes. Rosalia rummaged through the pile of gifts, and pulled out a new gown, a look of confusion smearing across her face.

"Since your first school ball is this year, we thought we'd go ahead and get you a little something," Marie's mother smiled, as Rosalia stood up and hugged the emerald gown against her bosom.

"I love it, _Mamma,_ it completely slipped my mind. I'm going to be the star of the ball!" Rosalia exclaimed happily. Marie leaned against the wall, just absorbing the scene of her family's joyousness. It pained her to have to return home tonight, but she knew it was her responsibility.

"Marie, don't just stand over there, you have a present to open too!" Marie's father called out, beckoning her towards a small box sitting underneath the tree. She bent over and picked it up, giving it a small shake. Her parents both smiled, wrapping their arms around each other as their eldest daughter gently pulled a silver necklace from the box. It was very thin and fragile looking, with a pearl set elegantly in the middle of the chain.

" _Mamma, Papá,_ it's absolutely gorgeous."

"It's a pearl from underwater caves in France, guarded by merpeople. When you're near danger, the pearl will get hot to warn you," Marie's mother explained.

"We figured you probably run into a lot of dangerous situations at work, so we wanted to make sure you're as safe as possible. Or at least reassure us that you're a bit more safe," Marie's father chuckled, patting his daughter on the shoulder. Marie grinned, wrapping both of her parents in a warm hug and thanking them.

"Well, now that we've got this out of the way, let's go play in the snow!" Dante announced. After a long day of laughter and filling meals, Marie had packed up her things, getting ready to take a bus back to a shop that she could safely Floo back home safely. "Do you really have to go so soon? Couldn't you wait another day?" Dante asked as Marie placed her present inside her bag.

"I wish I could, but I have some work to handle at home tomorrow so I can get ready to return to work the next day. Paperwork and all that boring stuff," Marie sighed, before turning to her family, who had congregated by the front door. "I'll be sending you all your presents within the next week. Do you want me to send your presents here or to Beauxabatons?" Marie questioned, directing it at Dante and Rosalia.

"Just send them here so it's easier for you, knowing how busy you are," Marie's father suggested, and Marie gave him a nod of affirmation. After a few minutes of small talk, Marie embraced her siblings, and then her father, and then her mother.

Her mother whispered into her ear, " _Amore,_ please stay safe."

"I will, _Mamma_ ," Marie murmured back, before lifting her bags and walking out the front door. She turned towards them one last time, gave them a wave, and carefully stepped down the stairs, and towards the main street, where she would wait at the bus stop for a good hour before finally boarding. By around midnight, Marie finally made it home and curled in her bed, sleep wrapping her in a comforting sheet.

When she woke, it was almost noon, and she had stacks of paperwork threatening to tip over on her floor. "Regulations…tax approvals…international agreement renewals…The British Hippogriff Act? What's this?" Marie wondered aloud, her eyebrows furrowing as she picked up the packet sitting on top of one of the numerous piles. "It was approved? The Act was approved? But when-"

"Yesterday afternoon. Considering I had nothing to do on Christmas, I decided to be productive, and go ahead and get the Act approved so we can get to work on putting this in action," A voice said from the hallway. A voice all too familiar, a voice that haunted her every night. Marie whipped her wand out as quickly as she could, pointing it at the figure of the cocky man she dreaded seeing most. Draco stepped completely out of the shadows, his charming face stretched with a smirk, his platinum blonde hair absorbing the light reaching from her kitchen. In his hands, he held a flourishing poinsettia in his hands.

"What are you doing here? Why are you here? Better yet, _how_ are you here?" Marie shouted, making sure that she wasn't loud enough for her neighbors to hear. That was one of the downsides of living in an apartment.

"Well, I got your address from your assistant, Louis, and then once I got here, it seemed that in your sleep-deprived state, you left your door unlocked. As for the plant, it is Christmas, and you're significant enough to give a present to," Draco explained in a hushed voice.

Marie hissed, "Put the plant down." Draco did as he was told, and placed his hands in the air.

"I promise you, I mean no harm. I came to apologize, to explain, and hopefully clarify some things."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"You'll just have to trust me," Draco uttered, his grey eyes clouding over with a plea for understanding. Marie stared at him for a minute, and then flicked her wand over to the chair sitting across from her small couch, motioning for him to sit in that seat. He nodded, and shuffled over to the wooden chair, slowly taking his place in the seat. Marie sat down on the couch, her wand continuing to point menacingly at him. "You really don't have to keep jabbing that thing at me, I won't hurt you."

"I didn't think you'd hurt me last time, and now look at me." Marie bit her lip after saying that, feeling the throbbing grow in her cheek, guessing it was starting to reappear again.

"Marie…I'm so sorry, for what I did," Draco mumbled, moving from his seat, slowly creeping towards her.

"Stay away from me!" She cried, scooting farther back into the couch.

"Just let me explain things, I-"

"Haven't you done enough?"

"I want to fix things, I want things to be normal."

"Things will never normal."

"They can if you let me try."

"Then explain, and I'll decide if I would like things to be fixed," Marie said firmly, placing her hands in her lap and sitting up sternly.

"I was jealous, that you could see in the Pensieve. It is Malfoy tradition that on the male heir's 18th birthday, he learn of his family history, starting with his grandfather, to try to not make his mistakes and strive to be an even better Malfoy. Since my 18th birthday fell a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, the Pensieve must have recognized the fact that I have the Mark of Traitors, a permanent magical bonding that I have no way to get rid of, without combating it with the Dark Arts. The Pensieve wouldn't let me see my family's past, there was no way for me to see into it. The look on my parents' face before they left, it was such an awful feeling. I was a failure, and they knew that, even the Manor knew that. Then, you come into my life, and the Pensieve accepts you, a girl who isn't even part of the Malfoy family…who isn't even pureblooded. I was so hurt and confused, my blood prejudices dictating my action. It drove me to a breaking point, where I hit you, but I instantly regretted it. I knew it was wrong, as soon as I touched you. I never wanted or want to hurt you, Marie. You're a very special woman, and you're starting to make me realize that the people we mark as 'unpure' are really the purest of us all." Marie sat there for a moment, trying to decipher the true emotions behind his murky gaze.

She finally opened her mouth and whispered, "I forgive you, but I will not forget, _Signore Malfoy._ "

"All I would hope for is your forgiveness," He mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"What is this Mark of Traitors you spoke of?" Marie asked, leaning a bit forward so she didn't appear so apprehensive.

"Voldemort stricken me with it when I abandoned his army of Death Eaters. I betrayed him, so now it will stay with me forever, unless, like I said, the Dark Arts are used, but I never want to be involved with it ever again. My Dark Mark is a physical reminder, but the Mark of Traitors runs much deeper. It prevents me of getting close with anyone, which is why it's been acting up so often. Ever since I've been with you, I've been having more attacks, which is why I said we need to keep our relationship…professional," Draco stated, going into great detail. Marie felt a bit of a blush underneath her skin, slightly flattered that Draco was at least interested somewhat, but it was drowned out with her overbearing suspicion of the man.

"Do you mind…if I get a closer look at it?" Marie questioned, pushing herself off the couch. Draco bit his lip, took in a deep breath, and finally nodded, holding his arm out. Marie gently rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mottled tattoo on his arm. It was all bruised and graying, as if someone had constantly beat his forearm with a hammer. The Mark was only distinguishable by the skull, everything else was murky and smeared. She placed two fingers on it, and slowly grazed them along his forearm, seeing if his arm felt any different. Sure enough, it felt normal, it just looked bruised and battered. Draco's breath hitched, not used to such a soft touch.

"I-um-yes, that's my scar," He garbled, not sure what to do with Marie so close to him.

She stood up, looking down at him sadly and murmured, "I am truly sorry. It is probably for the best that we remain colleagues, for your health."

"You're right. I was thinking, since we're working more on the scene with the hippogriffs since the Act was approved, I would like you to go to the Manor once a week, if you would like. If you are willing, I was wondering if you could-use the Pensieve more, since I cannot access it."

"Me making a habit of going to your Manor? Are you sure?"

"It's only for business purposes, and a bit of extra help with family purposes. Then, you could be on your merry way. Only if you want to."

"I would have to think about it…do you mind giving me a few days to think?"

"Not at all." The room was silent for a few minutes, until Draco finally got out of his seat, wiped off his shirt and smiled, "Well, it was nice speaking to you, Ms. Benedetti, and I hope to be seeing you soon. Have a lovely rest of the day, and Merry Christmas."

" _E tu, Signore Malfoy_." Marie grinned, shaking his hand before letting him out the door of her apartment. Closing it, she considered for a moment if she had made a mistake, but decided not to worry too heavily, since bigger things depended on her. She placed the poinsettia by her bedside in the room, and begun to get changed so she could go get some groceries for the week.

 **Andddd I am back with another chapter, hope you all like. I have just gotten Cursed Child, so no spoilers, but very excited for the read! School has started up again, so I have been extremely busy, but hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. I would really love some feedback from you guys, since it really helps the story out and me as a writer! Love to all, and stay awesome, Gotham!**

 **-April**


	10. Edward

**Chapter 10**

Marie sat at her desk, filing reports on immigrated witches and wizards into Italy. It had been three days since Draco's unexpected visit to her house. Her swollen bruise had died down tremendously, just a slight discoloration on her cheek that was easily concealed by foundation. She sighed, noticing the amount of Belgian witches and wizards entering the country, but remembered the current economic crisis they were facing and decided not to place an alert on the flow of immigrants. The levels were about normal, just 5% more than usual, nothing that deserved a high-risk warning. She told a few employees in the department to keep an eye on the immigrant levels, and if it surpassed 15%, then to notify to her.

With that, she could relax for a bit without a worry, at least until the top-secret files on European wizard terrorist movement came in. There had been a few radical groups they had been monitoring, one from Germany, another from Great Britain, and the last from Austria. There had been a group in Italy that she had been monitoring a few months ago, until she gave Magical Law Enforcement the file on them, and they had been squashed underfoot in a matter of days. All in a day's work for Marie Benedetti.

Marie pulled open her drawer and yanked out her copy of the Hippogriff Act and a blank piece of parchment in which she could write notes and her plan on action. As promised, Draco had sent out an emergency team to help eradicate the hippogriff contagion. According to a short message Draco had sent to her the day prior, the camp was making progress, the death toll almost down to nothing, with some hippogriffs showing enough improvement to be "out of the woods". Marie and Draco were scheduled to stop by three days from now, and as far as she knew, the Heads of Magical Creature Control from mostly all the European countries were meeting today to discuss how to put a plug in the epidemic, and quickly. Interrupting her thoughts, Louis came in, his cheeks tinted red, either from the cold or from blushing at Marie's sudden attention on him.

"Um, _Signorina Benedetti_ , you have a visitor," Louis said shyly, before exiting the room very quickly. Marie nodded, and quickly flattened out her skirt, expecting it to be Draco, who would mostly likely taunt her relentlessly if she approached him in a wrinkled skirt. That's when she remembered that their relationship was to remain professional, so maybe she could finally become slightly less tense around his presence. The door opened, and she immediately stood up, but was surprised to see it was not Draco, but Edward O'Brien.

"Marie, how are you?" He exclaimed, wrapping her in an embrace, and kissing her on both cheeks, taking advantage of Italian customs.

She finally broke the embrace and replied happily, " _Bene_ , Edward. I wasn't expecting you here…what brings you to Italy?"

"Mr. Potter offered me to be in charge of the emergency task force sent to help with the hippogriffs. Not how I planned to spend my winter, but when I found out you were the boss of this whole operation, well how could I say no?"

"Well, it's not just me in charge, Edward. It's Draco Malfoy and I,"

"Yes, yes, Draco Malfoy, but seriously, how much do you expect me to believe that the rich pureblood _actually_ does something. He just rides coattails and has done it his entire life." Edward chuckled, placing his hand on her desk to lean casually.

Marie gulped, ran her hand through her hair and muttered, "Well, actually, he's helped… _sufficiently._ "

Edward raised an eyebrow, then finally let out a guffaw, "Oh, Marie, you were always the jokester! It's just like old times." His laughing slowly died out, and he stared straight into her eyes, almost entranced by something that Marie couldn't put her finger on. He curled his arms around her in one quick motion, and went to kiss her, but she slipped out of his arms, pushing hair strands out of her face, her face showing signs of being flustered.

"Edward! This is my office, you can't do things like that here," Marie hissed, glancing out her slightly opened shutters, and was relieved to see that no one saw what had just occurred.

"So…you're saying, there is a place and time for that…just not here?" Edward asked, cocking his head slightly to the left.

"No…I'm saying, there's a reason old times are 'old' times, Edward. There is a reason things didn't work out between us…"

"I know, I was a lack-luster boyfriend, and you didn't want to take things further, and long distance, blah blah blah, but fate has brought us together again, Marie! You think it's just mere coincidence we both were assigned to the same task? As a witch, I would think you would believe in such magic."

"Edward, I don't believe romance in the workplace belongs in a productive environment."

"Please, just let me take you out to dinner, how about after you go to the hippogriff campsite, I take you out for some fine dining. Just as a friendly gesture for getting so involved in this project," Edward suggested, practically begging.

Marie bit her lip, then gave him a quick nod, "Just dinner. As friends, Edward."

"Unless you change your mind," Edward winked, before checking his watch and said quickly, "See you then, Marie." He pulled out his wand, and erupted in a wall of flames, and disappearing from her office.

"He left scorch marks, that _idiota_." Marie grumbled, taking notice of the patches of black on her carpet.

Louis poked his head in and stated, "I couldn't help but overhear _Signore O'Brien_ asked you out on a date?"

Marie huffed, "Louis, it's inappropriate to engage in office gossip,"

"Oh, I'm sorry _Signorina_ , I-"

"But if you must know, he did, but I established that it is just a friendly dinner, so if you could write down in my agenda that I will be at a dinner with Edward O'Brien from six to around seven or eight, that would be very kind of you," Marie explained, and with that, Louis rushed off into the office to grab her agenda. Marie closed her door, and collapsed in her seat, unsure of what she had just gotten herself into.

 **And she's back...but wait, there's more. Don't forget to leave a review, comment or share!**


	11. Hippogriff Haven

**Chapter** 11

"You came rather early," Marie noted, looking up from her endless stack of files on desk.

Draco chuckled, "Well, I simply couldn't contain my excitement over getting to spend my afternoon with sickly hippogriffs."

Marie let out a giggle, and smirked, "Well, you're in a pleasant mood."

Draco shrugged, placing his hands in his coat pockets, before he supposed, "I guess I am, but who couldn't be completely ecstatic in the company of an overbearing woman like yourself?"

He gave her a crooked smile, and she crossed her arms, "Remember, this is _professional_ , as in, no more teasing me."

Draco stepped out the door of her office, but peeped his head back in and murmured, "It's not teasing, it's just facts."

Marie rolled her eyes and followed after him. "Marie, I want to let you know before we get here, well, you won't like what you see, and you need to know-" Draco started.

"What do you mean? The hippogriffs aren't dying! Sure, they're sick, but we're making progress. _Signore Malfoy_ , don't be such a downer!"

"Actually, it's more complicated than-" He stopped speaking once his eyes fell on the vast field of sick hippogriffs, a hundred tents set up sporadically across the meadow. "That." He finished, biting his lip.

"This…it's so…horrible." Marie uttered, placing her hand over my mouth. Stretching out for miles, hippogriffs lay in pain, being treated by witches and wizards, who were trying their best to save them, but knew in their hearts they were just delaying the process. There was so many lifeless forms graying the otherwise lush pasture, piles of hippogriffs. Marie assumed were dead laid off in corners of the field. She saw one hippogriff attempting to walk, but it collapsed, and witnessed both of its wings snapping off from the impact. Marie faltered back, completely aghast from what just happened. A couple wizards ran over to it, patting its side, but the hippogriff's breathing was becoming slower and slower with each passing second.

"We have to do something! We can't just sit here and do nothing! Give it the medicine, we have medicine! We-" Marie screamed, attempted to run down to the dying hippogriff, but Draco grabbed her wrist, jerking Marie back.

"There's nothing we can do. They know it, the hippogriff knows it, and we know it, deep down. It's for the best, instead of letting it suffer anymore," Draco whispered, trying not to focus on the tears streaming down Marie's face.

"What do you mean 'it's for the best'? What are you talking about?"

"Marie, just look at me. Look at me. Deep breathes." Draco said in a hushed, soothing voice.

"What do you mean?" She cried again, attempting to turn back, but Draco grabbed her by the shoulders, and mumbled through gritted teeth.

"Just look at me." The tears down Marie's cheeks were becoming heavier, and with all her strength, she pushed herself out of his grip, hit the ground, and flipped onto her stomach, just in time to see a witch whisper a spell into the hippogriff's ear, causing its breathing to stop instantly.

Marie gasped, sobs ravaging her body, "We're…we're _killing_ them?"

Draco looked at her with the utmost sympathy and attempted to rationalize, "They were going to die anyway, we couldn't-"

"You said they were recovering! That the death toll was almost nothing!"

"It was! There was a lull in deaths, and the hippogriffs seemed to be in remission, but then two days ago, they all started to deteriorate more rapidly, and the doctors, well, we discovered this sickness comes in four stages. Showing symptoms, sickness, false remission, and then rapid decay. They were all hitting Stage Four so sudden, that we had to-"

"Kill them? We don't even know if they had a chance, and now we never will!" Marie shouted at him, being to hyperventilate.

"They wouldn't have a chance even if we let them live and they miraculously survived, because they would die in the wild without their wings!"

"Who authorized this? Who authorized this euthanization…this… _genocide_?"

"I did." Draco said blankly, deciding not the beat around the bush.

Marie's lip quivered, unsure of what to say. She knew, deep down inside, hidden away in her mind, it was probably the right thing to euthanize them, to put them out of their misery. But in her heart, she still had hope, and didn't want to believe they didn't have a chance. Instead of engaging in an argument, she just placed her head in her hands, and continued to softly cry.

"Hey now, please don't cry, it's alright. We're going to fix this, I promise. Let's go find you a place to sit and collect yourself," Draco reassured her, grabbing her by the hands and pulling her up.

"It's just, they'll never have a chance now." Marie murmured, gazing at the dead hippogriff as it was lifted and brought to one of the piles.

"I know, I know, come here," Draco hummed, pulling her close to him, as she let out one more choked cry.

Hugging him seemed to melt way all her sorrows, but she soon stepped back, brushing herself off and murmured, "Let's keep it professional."

"Oh I am, I'm making sure my partner will be productive by consoling her," Draco joked.

He advised her not to look down, or else it would sadden her worse, so she raised her head and followed him into one of the tents. It was gigantic on the inside, with a giant mattress wrapped in white linens in one corner, with a small stove and cooler in another. A small couch even fit inside, with enough room for them to walk around.

"Would you like something to drink?" Draco questioned, pulling a cooler out.

"Just water, _grazie_."

He threw her a water bottle and tried to lighten to mood by boasting, "Welcome to my very comfy, very nice abode."

"You slept here?"

"Some nights. It's a lot nicer than the Manor if I do say," Draco kidded around, jumping on his mattress.

Marie managed a smile, and kept the small talk ablaze by disagreeing, "I don't know, the Manor is quite exquisite, and if it was up to me, I would be there all the time."

"Oh, would you?" Draco asked mischievously, grinning widely.

Marie took a seat next to him on the mattress and rolled her eyes, groaning, "Not like that! I'm just saying that compared to my cramped apartment, the Manor is very liberating."

"Ah, I see. That is _totally_ what you meant," Draco sneered, trying to get her to make that exasperated noise she always made when he frustrated her. It was somewhere between a growl and whimper. But, despite his attempts, the noise did not escape her mouth, and instead, a sad glaze glassed over her eyes, as she saw the horrors occurring outside the tent.

Draco jumped up, and closed the opening to the tent, turning back to her and exclaiming, "Hey! Let's go over strategies to fix this instead of mulling over how bad this situation is, okay?"

"You shouldn't close the tent, people will get suspicious," Marie reminded him, turning herself over to lay on her stomach.

" _Accio notebook e pencil!"_ Out of some basket in the tent, a blank notebook and pencil flew into her hands, and she pulled her hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall in soft waves along her back and side. Draco couldn't help but stare at her for a few seconds, his eyes scanning over her long body taking up the length of the bed, and her big, brown, doe-eyes staring back up at him. He couldn't help the word "beautiful" from popping up in his head, but he immediately shot it out of his mind. She wasn't beautiful, she wasn't lovely, she was just another emotional woman who he was forced to work with. _Enough, Draco. No more flirting around_ , he thought to himself. He felt his heart clench for a moment, and thought he was going to have an attack, when he took a deep breath, and cleared all his thoughts.

She was just his work partner, nothing more. "There's nothing to be suspicious of, if there is nothing between us, which there isn't," Draco mumbled, taking his spot next to her. Marie nodded slightly, not making eye contact with him, although he didn't want her to. After about two hours of going over hippogriff population, possible causes for the illness, and possible solutions, Draco took the notebook from Marie and threw it across the bed.

"What are you doing?" Marie grumbled.

"I think we've done enough today, and you're practically asleep now," Draco protested.

"I'm fine, just keep…going…" Marie moaned, before placing her head on the mattress, and her breathing slowed down to a mere inhale every now and then. Draco smiled slightly, and placed one of his blankets over her before gently prying himself off the bed. The sunset's light was filtering in through the tent, casting an orange hue on everything. He replaced his work shoes with loafers, and glanced at Marie before changing his suit top quickly into something more comfortable.

"I just need to go on a walk, clear my mind," He told himself, before sliding on a coat and walking outside. It was beginning to snow lightly, which was making all the witches and wizards throw protective spells all over the hippogriffs to protect them from the cold. But before Draco could walk more than ten feet, he was stopped by Edward O'Brien, a man he thought was more of an imbecile than Harry Potter.

"Ah, just the man I was looking for!" Edward declared, offering his hand for Draco to shake, but Draco didn't even look at the hand, so Edward awkwardly placed it back down at his side.

"Why would be looking for me of all people?"

"Well, I'm actually looking for Marie, but I figured you would know where she is."

"Marie? Why do you need Marie?"

"I'm taking her out on a date tonight, did she not tell you? That's why she can't stay late tonight."

"Oh, she, she didn't tell me that, no." Draco said flatly, trying to hide his frustration.

"Oh, well, now you know! Now, where is she?" Edward pressed further with his relentless questions.

"I'm not sure, but let me go check. If I find her, I'll have her meet you at your tent," Draco told him, articulating every word very carefully.

"Alright, sounds good pal!" Edward laughed, giving Draco a solid pat on the back. Draco bit his lip, gave him a nod, and disappeared into the tent. Just before he was about to wake up Marie, he stopped himself. There was an unidentifiable feeling inside him, one he had never really felt to its full extent. It was a deep anger, not with what was happening, but with what _wasn't_ happening. He was…jealous? No, he couldn't be jealous, he didn't even _like_ the stupid woman to begin with. Maybe he knew she deserved better than a bumbling oaf like Edward O'Brien. But, why did this matter? Marie was free to choose who she wanted to be with, and Draco was completely out of the question. Totally…or was he?

 _Yes, she doesn't like you, and more importantly, you're not interested in the likes of her,_ Draco thought to himself, trying to convince himself he didn't care. Eventually, after a lot of contemplating and soul-searching, he carefully shook Marie awake. She rubbed her eyes, and made a tiny squeaking noise as she stretched out her limbs.

"How long was I sleeping?" She asked sleepily, her eyes barely open.

"Not very long, probably about 15 or 20 minutes. But, uh, Edward is looking for you, since you guys have a date tonight. Or something, I don't know, that's just what I've heard," Draco stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, that? It's not a date, just friendly."

"It's okay to say it's a date."

"But if it's not a date, then why would I call it a date?"

"Well, you don't have to feel like you have to call it something else around me."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Marie inquired aggressively, now standing up. Draco's mouth agape, he wasn't sure what to say, just a bunch of short noises escaping.

He finally found an excuse and answered, "I just know talking about dates and stuff can be awkward with a man, but I'm your work partner, so you don't have to feel awkward, since I have no opinion of these things."

Marie's glare softened, and her posture relaxed slightly as she replied, "Oh, well, either way, it's still not a date. I made that very clear to Edward. It'll just be nice to clear my mind of all these things today, and enjoy myself, so I indulged in his offer."

Draco managed to plaster on a smile and lifted up the cover of the opening to the tent. "Well, I hope you have a wonderful time, Ms. Benedetti. He's expecting you at his tent."

"Thank you, _Signore Malfoy_."

"Oh, and Ms. Benedetti?"

Draco called out before she walked away, "Can you stop by the Manor tomorrow, or are you still undecided?"

Marie pursed his lips then shouted two words back, "I will."

 **Hope you all enjoyed, don't forget to leave a review, have a lovely Thanksgiving!**

 **-April**


	12. Dinner Date

**Chapter 12**

"Sorry, this isn't top-notch quality, but I mean, it'll do for tonight, won't it?" Edward asked Marie, a nervous smile on his face as they approached a quaint, little restaurant on the corner of the street.

"Oh, no, this is fine. I don't need anything _fantasia_ ," Marie assured him, caught off guard as he grabbed her hand and led her inside.

" _Cena per due?"_ The lady at the front of the restaurant questioned.

" _Sì._ " Marie answered quickly, and as she led them to a table on the back patio, Edward gave her a look, but she giggled, "She said 'dinner for two', Edward." He smiled, and pulled the seat out for Marie. She thanked him, and they ordered drinks.

"Alcohol, huh?" Edward smirked, a bit surprised at her sudden indulgence in some wine.

"It's been a rough day, rough week, rough month…it all blends together after a while."

"Tell me about it," Edward muttered, rolling his eyes. Marie looked around the restaurants, and noticed napkins folded into birds fluttering around the rooms.

"I've never been here before, it's certain very lively," Marie smiled, just sitting in awe of all the magic. She considered what her life would be like if she was a Muggle, and then shook her head. She wouldn't want her life any other way. Brooms were constantly sweeping, chairs were folding themselves up, and dirty dishes were floating into the backroom.

"I assume it's close to closing time," Edward noted, noticing how the candles at some tables were blowing themselves out. The waitress came back, with a bottle of wine and two glasses following close behind her.

" _Grazie_ ," Marie said, nodding at the woman as the wine poured itself into the two glasses.

"Order food yet?" The waitress asked, setting her notepad and quill on the table, Edward noticing it was a Quick-Quotes quill.

"I'll get the lobster ravioli with parmesan cheese on top," Edward informed her, flashing her a stunning smile.

" _Carbonara_ , _per favore_." Marie followed up, watching the curious quill zip up and down the notepad. The waitress nodded, and her notes followed closely behind.

"So, this hippogriff problem…it's really something," Edward muttered, twisting a breadstick around in his hands before finally taking a small bite.

Marie nodded, and began to ramble, "It's truly awful. I mean, it's fantastic we have so much help, and that _Signore Malfoy_ got the Act approved, but those are just legal achievements. We need more medical help, more research, more Potions majors coming to us to help brew something up! It's just so… _frustrante_!"

"You're telling me. I've seen more hippogriffs put down in the past day than anyone in history, and it's truly tragic that I'm almost desensitized to it. We need more people like you who truly care on this task force, Marie," Edward sighed, placing his hand on hers. She looked down at their hands for a second, before smiling and pulling away gently.

She continued, "I just wish there was a way to get more help, get more hands on the job, more minds to come up with a plan."

Edward thought for a moment, then offered, "How about I get an interview with _The Daily Prophet_ and _The Quibbler_ and tell them the situation? Maybe get them to put in at the end about needing more volunteers?"

" _Dio mio, Edward!_ That would be amazing, I would appreciate it so much!"

"It's no big deal, if you ever need anything, just tell me." As soon as he finished his sentence, the plates of food came floating out, and set themselves neatly in front of the couple. They ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the beautifully vivid dishes placed in front of them before Edward broke the silence with a question, "So, you and Malfoy, huh?" Marie raised an eyebrow as she wrapped a strand of spaghetti around her fork.

" _Signore Malfoy e io?_ Us? There is nothing between us, Edward, I assure you. He's a bit too bitter for my taste," Marie explained with a slight sense of nervousness.

"He seems awfully interested to me," Edward noted, gingerly poking his food.

"In what way?" Marie asked, a bit too intrigued.

"Oh, I might just be seeing things. I just notice he's not as hostile towards you as he is to others," Edward murmured.

Marie shook her head, and laughed, "He's just being friendly because we're forced to work together. He's not my type."

"Then what is?" Edward questioned, perking up.

Marie bit her lip, and answered genuinely, "Oh, I'm not sure. Kind, caring, funny, smart…your typical traits."

"I would say I get a check for each one of those boxes," Edward smirked, giving her a wink. Marie giggled, and pulled out her wallet, but Edward signaled for her to stop, and took out his money.

Placing it on the table, she stood up and yawned, "It's late, we should get going." Marie sipped the rest of her drink, and even took a small sip from Edward's glass. The two exited the restaurant, Marie placing her hands out, catching falling snowflakes in her gloved palms. "My favorite kind of weather," She whispered under her breath, and she spun on her toes, letting out another giggle.

"My, Ms. Benedetti seems a bit bubbly! Have a bit too much to drink?" Edward chuckled, grabbing her hand to prevent her from falling.

"Maybe a glass too much," Marie admitted, before falling into his arms, letting out a snort.

"Well, let's get you home then, so you can get a good night's sleep." The two interlocked arms, and walked about four blocks away, Marie slipping every once in a while, but not completely incapacitated to where she couldn't function. When they reached her apartment building, Edward grinned, and slowly removed his arm, now facing her. "Well, we're here."

"Yes, we are."

"I guess this is where I leave you. Can you make it up the stairs?"

"I believe so."

"Well…goodnight Marie, I'll see you soon."

"Are you forgetting something?" Marie giggled uncontrollably, leaning into him, tilting her head up towards him.

Edward began to blush, and asked shyly, "What do you mean?"

"I'll show you," Marie insisted, and got on her toes to plant a kiss on her lips. It was quick, but worth it for Edward, who gave her a second kiss. Marie, tipsy and bubbly, let out another snort, letting him go and waving, " _Buona notte, Edward!"_ She stumbled inside the apartment building, leaving Edward melting the snow around him from the blush that had spread across his face.

 **So, here's the chapter guys! I know it's short, but I plan to post a new chapter soon, so no worries. I would love to hear feedback on Edward and Marie (I'll call it Edrie hehe), or what you think or Marie and Draco (Marco haha). I just love hearing from you guys, it means so much. So follow, review, share, anything would be rather lovely. And as alwaysssss, stay AWESOME, Gotham!**

 **-April**


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